Part 1 of The Merry Man Series Lester
by rangeman girl
Summary: What starts out as a routine FTA capture leads to interesting things......


When you least expect it….

By: Amanda Cosentino

I don't own these character's, well most of them. J.E. does. This was my attempt at character building. Hope you enjoy!

Lester POV

"We've been sitting on this asshole for almost 6 hours. I don't think he's gonna show." I said to Bobby. Bobby sat back in his seat and stretched his arms.

"Doesn't look like it, man." We were sitting outside of this shit hole apartment complex just off Stark Street. We were doing surveillance on a piece of shit, low life. But that is usually what we do surveillance on. Louis Garcia had skipped on a $250,000 bond. He was arrested for child molestation, 4 counts. We at RangeMan don't deal well with perverts, especially those who go after children. It seems that Mr. Garcia had been working as a pre-school teacher. Ideal job for a pedophile. It was important that we got this prick.

Bobby and I sat in silence for a while longer. I hate surveillance. I didn't seem to mind it as much this time. This was an important case. We had been given explicit orders from Ranger. 'Take this prick down.' Enough said. I glanced at my watch again. 0113. I just wanted this skip to show, take him out, and head home. It had been a long day.

"Well, what do we have here?" Bobby said sitting up, pulling up his night vision scope. I sat up looking toward the corner.

"Is it him?" I said squinting in the darkness to get a better look at the tall, dark man walking down the street. He was looking around, acting jumpy. But then down here near Stark, anyone in his or her right mind would act like that especially after 1 a.m.

"That's him," Bobby said setting down the scope. "Let's roll." We exited the Bronco. Bobby came around next to me, and we started walking toward the apartment building. Mr. Garcia didn't seem to notice us right away. He started up the steps of the apartment building. "Louis Garcia, stop, Bond Enforcement!" Bobby boomed. I jumped into action, taking the apartment steps two at a time. Mr. Garcia had the deer in the headlight look. He took off, running up the steps into the building.

"We got a runner!" I yelled over my shoulder, following the little scumbag. Bobby followed me in. "Garcia, stop!" I yelled reaching the second floor. Garcia turned and looked and me and dashed down the hallway and around the corner. I hauled ass after him, Bobby on my heels. Just before I reached the corner I heard a loud "UUHHFFF!" I turned the corner, gun drawn, and saw Garcia laying flat on his back, with a blonde woman standing over him.

"You piece of fucking shit!" she screamed and kicked him in the balls. Oh, you know that had to hurt. She was holding a Glock in her right hand. Garcia was holding his balls screaming in pain.

"Drop your weapon and step away from him Ma'am," Bobby said with a grin. She flashed him a glare.

"Who in the hell are you?" she asked, as she hauled back and kicked him again.

"Were Bond Enforcement Agents. We are authorized to take Mr. Garcia into custody. Ma'am, drop your weapon and please step away from him," I said looking at her. She stopped and looked over at me. I froze. She had the most beautiful blue eyes. Her long blonde hair was falling around her. She was wearing faded jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt, and black boots. She was about 5'8 and gorgeous. Then she smiled at me.

"Oh, you guys can have this piece of garbage, but I would like a moment with him first." She smiled sweetly, as she hauled back and kicked him in the balls again. Bobby chuckled.

"What are you the pissed off girlfriend?" he asked.

"Nope," she answered, kicking him in the face.

"Ma'am, please step away from him," I said grinning. I had my gun trained on her. She shot me another sweet smile, and I lowered the gun slightly.

"As I said before, you can have him, I just want a few moments." She brought her boot down on the side of his knee. I heard a crack. Garcia howled in pain. "This fucking scum bag molested my niece," She stated looking at us. "Surly you guys won't mind if I get a little payback."

"Ma'am" I said slowly walking toward her. "I understand your frustration. I'm afraid that you are going to have to place your weapon on the ground, and step away." She looked at me wide eyed.

"You understand my frustration?" she said angrily. God she was beautiful. "You don't have a clue, buddy," she said stepping on his hand.

"Get her off me!" Garcia screamed. Bobby came up beside me slowly.

"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you one more time. Please place your weapon on the ground and step away." Bobby was speaking softly. She glanced over at him.

"Fine," she said taking a step back, and placing her gun on the ground. She took another step back and held up her hands. I put my gun at the small of my back and took another step forward.

Garcia rolled on the ground, and grabbed her gun. "Stop!" he said pointing it at me. He was slowly trying to get to his feet. I had a feeling that his knee was pretty fucked up. I reached and grabbed my gun training it on him.

"Drop your weapon, Garcia," Bobby said. He stepped closer to him.

"I'll fucking shoot you all!" Garcia yelled; he had his back against the wall. The blonde was standing to his right, Bobby and me to his left. He was swinging the gun back and forth between us.

"You can't shoot us all you dumb ass. Someone will take you out," she spat at him. He turned and trained the gun on her.

"Maybe I'll just shoot you, you stupid bitch!" he screamed. I moved quickly, grabbing his neck from behind with my left hand, and reaching around to grab the gun with my right. Bobby moved in and took the weapon from him. I threw him on the ground, dropped my knee onto his chest, and pointed my gun in his face.

"We tried to do this the easy way," I said to him. "You are not going to give us any more trouble, understand," I said "or, I'll let her have a couple more minutes with you. Got it asshole?" I eased back off of him, and Bobby grabbed him by the shirt and jerked him to his feet. Bobby turned him around and slammed him face first into the wall. I heard another crunch. I slapped the cuffs on him, and Bobby started dragging him down the hall. Garcia's knee was totally fucked up, he couldn't walk on it.

I turned and looked at the gorgeous blonde. "I think this is yours," I said handing her the Glock. She grinned. We heard a stumble behind us and another cry of pain.

"OOOPPSS, shouldn't be so clumsy Mr. Garcia," I heard Bobby laughing. Undoubtedly Mr. Garcia had taken a stumble on the stairs.

"Thanks," she said taking it, tucking it into her waistband. "It isn't loaded you know." I looked at her.

"What?!" She grinned again.

"It was for intimidation, I wasn't actually going to use it."

"What was your plan then?" I asked, curious now. I stood feet apart, arms across my chest.

"I was just going to intimidate him with it, then beat the shit out of him. Honestly, my plan hadn't gotten any further than that," she laughed. I couldn't help but grin at her. She was ballsy that's for sure.

"What's your name, cutie?"

"Marisa Jacobs," she said smiling.

"Lester Santos," I said extending my hand. "It's a pleasure." She took my hand and smiled. "Thanks," I said. She looked at me puzzled.

"For what?"

"Catching the scum bag." I grinned at her.

She laughed then. God her laugh was like music. She tossed her hair back and started walking past me. I turned and followed her.

"I'm sure you and the other guy could have done it on your own. Like I said, I just wanted a few moments." She turned and smiled at me as we walked back down the stairs. Bobby was loading Garcia into the back of the Bronco. He turned and looked at us grinning.

"Ms. Jacobs, this is Bobby Brown," I said. She smiled at Bobby.

"Nice to meet you, Bobby," she said extending her hand. Bobby took it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Jacobs."

"Marisa, please." She said.

"I'm sorry about your niece." Bobby said looking at her. A look of pain crossed her face.

"Thank you. I just want the bastard to pay. Casey is only three." She said. I cringed. I wanted the bastard to pay too.

"Oh, I think that he will definitely pay, don't you Bobby? Maybe we should call Hector?" I said grinning. Hector worked for RangeMan sometimes. Hector didn't think too kindly of pedophiles. Bobby's phone chirped. He pulled it off his belt.

"Brown." He paused. "FTA in custody, headed to station. See you in 20," he said closing the phone. He looked at me. "Tank." He said. I nodded. I turned to Marisa.

"Well, thanks again. It was nice to meet you," I said. She looked at me and smiled.

"Sure you can't give me a couple more minutes with him?" she said grinning. Bobby's laughter boomed.

"If we give you any more time with him, there won't be anything left to take to the station." She looked over at Bobby and smiled again. She shrugged.

"If it was one of yours, you would have done the same right?" she said. I looked at her.

"Damn straight," I nodded. Bobby nodded also. "Did you park close?" I asked her. "You don't need to be walking around here at this hour."

"I'm three blocks over."

"Hop in, we'll give you a lift," I said looking to Bobby. He looked at me like I was nuts. I gave him an exasperated look.

"You sure?" she asked hesitantly. Bobby nodded. "Thanks." She walked up to the Bronco. I opened the door for her to climb into the front. She looked at me and smiled. Bobby rolled his eyes. He's been hanging out with Bombshell too much. I walked around to the other side of the Bronco to climb into the back.

"Let me get your door for you," Bobby said in a high voice.

"Shut up," I said glaring at him. He laughed and climbed behind the wheel.

Bobby POV

She was beautiful. And Santos had it bad. I watched as they walked down the apartment steps together. He was wearing the biggest shit-eating grin. Hanging on her every word.

As he introduced us, I kept looking at him. He was enthralled. I had to laugh. Santos was always considered a ladies man. This wasn't normally his type. This one seemed smart, and not brunette, and not on the slutty side. When he offered to give her a ride, it was all I could do to not bust out laughing. As he opened the door for her, I had to hide my smile. He was going to hear about this one.

"Let me get the door for you," I said laughing.

"Shut up," Lester said glaring at me. I opened the door and climbed in. Lester climbed in the back next to the FTA.

"Which way?" I asked.

"Up here and take a right, three blocks down," she said.

"How did you know where to find him?" I asked her, pulling away from the curb. She shrugged.

"I did a little research, it wasn't hard."

Wasn't hard, huh? This guy had dropped off the radar since his failure to appear. We had gotten a tip from a CI, and that was the only way we found him.

"So what do you do when you're not out fighting crime?" Lester chimed in from the back. She turned to look at him.

"I'm an undergrad at Thomas Edison State." She said.

"What's your major?" I asked.

"What's with the questions?" she asked. I chuckled.

"Well it isn't everyday we run into a cute little blonde kicking the shit out of a FTA. Just curious," I said grinning at her.

"It isn't everyday that I go out in the middle of the night to kick the shit out of some scum bag," she stated sweetly. "But if they deserve it," she said looking over her shoulder. "So what's up with you guys, you like The Lone Ranger and Tonto or something?"

"We work for RangeMan." Lester said laughing.

"What's RangeMan?" she asked.

"RangeMan is a security company and we do bond enforcement on the side, you know for fun," Lester said winking at her.

"Fun, huh? You guys do that sort of thing all of the time?" Marisa asked.

"Yep," I answered grinning.

Marisa shook her head. "Fuck," she said looking out the window. I grimaced.

"That your car?" I asked. Or what was left of it. It looked like it had once been a Honda Accord. Now it was stripped down to nothing.

"Damn," Lester said letting out a whistle.

"Just Great!" she yelled. "Just fucking great! Now what am I supposed to do?" She turned and glared at Garcia. "I should fucking kick you again. Because of you my car is gone!" I was trying hard not to laugh. She was a spitfire all right.

"Tell you what, we'll take him to the cop shop, and give you a lift home. Least we can do for you catching our FTA," I said smiling at her. "You have insurance, right?" She nodded. "Report it stolen tomorrow. Insurance won't give you any shit if it's stolen." She was rubbing her eyes. She nodded. She turned and glared at Garcia.

"I liked that car too, you asshole!" she spat.

"Fuck you, serves you right, you crazy bitch!" Garcia yelled. Lester punched him. Garcia slumped forward, knocked out. I glanced at Lester in the rearview.

"Tired of hearing his mouth," Lester shrugged. I shook my head. My phone chirped again. I pulled it off my belt, Tank again.

"Brown," I said answering.

"What's your ETA?" Tank asked.

"Got a small problem."

"Oh shit, what?"

"We had an assistant in catching the FTA. But it seems like her car got renovated while she was helping us out. Gonna take the skip to the cop shop, and give her a lift."

"We're not running a fucking taxi service, Brown," Tank grumbled.

"Agreed, but she needs a ride, and she really helped us out. I'll explain when we get there. See you in about 45," I said and hung up the phone. I glanced over at Marisa. She was rubbing her temples with both hands.

"You ok, Marisa?" Lester asked from the back. She nodded.

"I think so, my head is pounding now."

"Adrenaline coming down," I said. "Take some Advil, and a hot shower when you get home." she nodded and glanced at me grinning.

"What are you a doctor by day and The Lone Ranger by night?" she said. I had to laugh.

"I was a medic in the Rangers. Seen this a hundred times. Trust me. So where did you learn to take someone down like that?"

She glanced at me again.

"My Dad was a Navy SEAL. Taught me all of that good stuff from the time I could walk." She turned and looked at Lester. "Were you in the service also?"

"I was in the Rangers with Tonto there."

I looked in the mirror at him.

"You are defiantly Tonto." He said laughing. I shook my head. "So where do you live?"

She looked at Lester then me. "Just off Hamilton, in Chambersburg."

"Ah, so you're a Burg girl just like Bombshell?" Lester asked grinning.

"Who?" she asked.

"Stephanie Plum. The Bombshell Bounty Hunter." Lester chuckled.

"I haven't lived in the Burg long, about three years. But the name Stephanie Plum sounds familiar."

"She's been in the paper a lot," I said.

"Is she that girl that is constantly blowing up cars?" Both Lester and I broke out laughing.

"That would be Steph," Lester laughed.

"How in the world would you guys know a Burg girl? I mean no offense, but from what I have seen of the Burg girls, they don't seem like the type to run amuck with some badass bounty hunters."

"Bombshell isn't your typical burg girl," I said looking at her out of the corner of my eye.

"So where did you live before?" Lester asked sitting up in between the seats. I threw him a glance in the rearview. Pathetic, I thought.

"We lived in Norfolk Virginia. That was where my Dad was mostly based. He died about 5 years ago, and we picked up and moved. My sister and brother-in-law live here, so this seemed like a good place," Marisa said getting quiet.

"Sorry about your Dad," Lester said. "What happened?" I shot him a look in the rearview. What the hell was he playing, twenty questions? Lester caught my eye, and obviously didn't get the drift. He was being nosey. Very unlike him.

"We aren't sure. It's still classified," she said looking at Lester. "He was on a mission, and he didn't make it." She got real quiet then. I could kick his ass for being so damn nosey. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it. This wasn't an interrogation. We are just giving her a ride.

We were pulling up to the cop shop. I parked, and got out. Lester jumped out and walked around to the other side and pulled the skip out of the back. He was starting to come around.

"Need me to help you?" he asked. I looked at him and frowned. " I just thought that I could keep an eye on Marisa while you took him inside. Wouldn't want to leave her alone, you know." Lester said flashing me his shit-eating grin. I shook my head.

"Whatever, man. Don't you think that you have grilled her enough for one night? I think you have made her beyond uncomfortable," I said glaring at him.

"Man, I didn't know that it was a bad thing to ask about. I just wanted to get to know more about her."

"Oh, so you think she's 'doable'?" That was a term that Lester loved to throw around.

"Of course, but she's different," he said winking at me. "And I like it."

I shook my head and started hauling the skip up the steps. "You owe me," I called back over my shoulder. Lester laughed as he got back into the Bronco.

_ CI confidential informant_

Marisa's POV

Have you ever had something happen to you, or a member of your family, that just pushes you over the edge? Something that is so messed up, that there is no punishment that could do it justice?

When I found out what had happened to my sweet niece, a baby that is what did it for me. Hunting down some stinking scumbag isn't anything that I would normally do. It isn't even in my realm of possibilities. If my father were still alive, that would be another story. Since he passed away, I guess that it falls on me.

I gave some crack head $50 to tell me where he lived. After I tracked down Garcia, I didn't have a plan. The only thing that I could think of was he deserved to pay. Taking the gun seemed like a great idea. Dad would have been proud. But, loading it, well that I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I guess that it's a good thing that these two showed up. It's probably a good thing that the gun wasn't loaded. I don't know that I would have stopped. The release that I felt, there are no words for it. Anger management hasn't always been my thing. Now at least I know that this fucker will sit in jail for a while, hopefully forever. But that wouldn't be long enough.

And now my car, what in the hell am I going to do now? I have a part time job at the library, and that sure as hell isn't enough to just go and buy a new car. All because of this fucker sitting in the back seat. Great job Marisa, your glorious coup just blew up in your face.

And these two guys, WOW. I think that is the only word that I have. They both need to be on some smut calendar somewhere. I glanced at Bobby out of the corner of my eye. It was very nice of them to offer to give me a ride. Bobby is very attractive; about 6'3", dark brown hair, blue eyes, medium complexion, late 20's and built. Lester on the other hand, holy shit. Lester is about 6'2, black hair, and dark brown eyes; also late 20's. He has the most beautiful smile. Dimples in both cheeks; adorable isn't the word. And who in the hell runs around in SWAT gear? It worked for these guys though.

After I had calmed down some and really got a look at him, my heart all but stopped. And when he smiled, my knees actually got a little weak. He seemed to have an easy way about him. Kind of laid back, unlike Bobby, who seemed to be all business. I didn't care for all of the questions he was asking me. I thought that was weird, but who am I to say. This has just been a weird day. I never thought when I got up this morning that I would end up beating the shit out of my niece's molester, my car would be stripped, and I would meet two extremely hot guys.

We pulled up to the police station. My head was pounding. I just wanted this day to be over. Lester got out and pulled the scum out of the back. I heard him and Bobby talking outside, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Hell I didn't care. I just wanted to go home.

Lester climbed back into the SUV. I was still rubbing my eyes, trying to get the ache to calm down. "I'm sorry if I was asking too many questions or making you uncomfortable," he said from the back seat. I turned and looked at him.

"It's ok. You didn't make me uncomfortable. I just don't talk about my Dad much," I shrugged. I missed him a lot, and my Mom and sister just didn't talk about him. He was kind of quiet for a minute. "So do I get to ask you some questions now?" I asked grinning.

"Shoot, cutie," he said grinning.

"You want to have dinner with me sometime?" I asked. OMG! Did I actually say that? Lester had kind of a shocked look on his face. Then he started laughing. Not a good sign.

"Direct and to the point," He said laughing.

"I'm sorry. I know I just met you. I hope that I didn't offend you, I'm sure that you have a girlfriend or wife or something. I don't know what I was thinking, obviously I wasn't. Really I'm sorry." I felt a blush climbing up my cheeks.

"So you don't want to have dinner with me?" he asked. I looked at him.

"Well, yes, I mean no. I mean," breathe, Marisa, just breathe. I took a deep breath. "IF you aren't involved with someone, yes I would. If you are, I am really sorry. I don't normally do this, but hell, today is a day for firsts."

"How about Thursday?" he asked smiling at me. I looked at him wide eyed.

"Thursday is good." I said shocked. Not what I was expecting.

"Great, I'll pick you up at 7 then."

"Ok," I said. OMG! He said YES! Now I was getting nervous. Where would we go? What in the hell should I wear?

"Did you have some place in mind? Or would you like me to pick?" he asked still smiling.

"I'll let you pick." I said as I saw Bobby walking back down the steps. He came around and climbed behind the wheel. I glanced at him and broke eye contact.

Bobby glanced at me, and looked in the rearview. I'm sure he saw Lester grinning like the Cheshire cat. He shot me another puzzled look and pulled away from the curb, headed into the Burg.

Lester POV

The ride to Marisa's house took about 15 minutes. It was kind of quiet on the way. Bobby had slipped into his zone, and Marisa was still rubbing her eyes. She must have one hell of a headache. I couldn't stop grinning. When she asked me out, surprised isn't even the word. It was pretty cute the way she got all flustered. I'm sure that she didn't plan on doing it. It just came out. I'm an opportunist; I wasn't going to let this one slip by.

Bobby pulled up in front of her house. It was a small house on Buckley. She turned and thanked Bobby for the lift, and she turned and looked at me. She flashed me a blinding smile.

"See you later," she said getting out of the Bronco. I got out of the backseat and walked around to her side.

"See you Thursday," I said winking at her. She blushed, nodded and headed up the sidewalk. I hopped up into the Bronco, still grinning. We waited until she let herself into the house, and Bobby pulled away.

"What the hell are you grinning about?" he asked.

"I got a date," I said. Bobby looked at me frowning.

"You asked her out?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, actually she asked me." Bobby shook his head. I laughed.

"You have got to be shitting me," he said. "Only you," he said shaking his head again. I shrugged.

"What, she was the one who asked me. Do you actually think that I would have said no? Damn, man, she's beautiful," I said still grinning. Bobby cut his eyes at me.

"She is that, but very emotional right now. You sure she didn't ask because you helped take her niece's molester to jail? Sure that it's not some kind of appreciation thing?" I frowned at him. Why in the hell was he trying to rain on my parade?

"Well she didn't ask you to dinner now did she?" I stated looking at him. Bobby shrugged and grinned.

"No, she didn't," he said pulling on to Haywood, headed toward RangeMan. As he pulled into the garage, I started thinking. It wasn't some sort of appreciation thing. There was something there. I was certainly attracted to her, and obviously she felt something too, or she wouldn't have asked me out.

I can honestly say that I have never had a woman just ask me to go on a date. I usually did the asking. And I didn't ask that much. With my line of work, there really wasn't much time for serious relationships. I'll admit, I had thought about it more than once, but decided that it really wasn't worth the trouble. I had been in a very serious relationship before, and it just didn't work out. Kelly just couldn't understand that there were times that I needed to go away for work, sometimes with only 20 minutes notice. She said that my lifestyle and job was not condusive to a serious relationship.

That had been 4 years ago, and since then I took women out, slept with them, and said goodbye the next morning. Nothing else to it. But I hadn't met a woman like Marisa before. She was full of fire, and had a great sense of humor. Not to mention that she was gorgeous. I made the decision that I would find out all that I could about her.

Bobby and I got out of the Bronco and into the elevator. He pushed the 5th floor, and we rode up in silence. We exited the elevator and saw Tank sitting in front of the screens in the control room. He turned when we approached.

"Care to explain?" he said crossing his arms over his massive chest and leaning back in his seat. I shrugged.

"The skip bolted and we put up chase. Came around the corner and this little blonde had him on the ground kicking the shit out of him. Come to find out, the fucking rat bastard molested her niece. She was pissed," I couldn't help but grin. "What was it she said Bobby? 'I just need a few moments with him, and then you can have him.'"

"Something like that," Bobby chuckled. "She took him down before we had the chance. So Lester decided that we should give her a lift back to her car. Least we could do, and her car was stripped. So we gave her a ride home." Bobby shrugged. "She saved us the trouble of having to shoot the motherfucker. By the time she got finished with him, he was more than willing to go with us," Bobby finished grinning.

"What we got another Bombshell on our hands?" Tank said laughing. I shook my head.

"Don't think so. She just wanted to do something. Can't say I blame her. If it was one of mine, I would have done the same thing." I said. Tank nodded.

"Important thing is that we got the skip, and the fucker is locked up now." Tank said then looked over our shoulders. We both turned and saw Ranger exiting the elevator. Ranger walked up to us and stared at us.

"Report," he said. Both Bobby and I gave him the short and sweet version. Ranger just shook his head. "Just what we need another Steph running around taking down criminals."

"I can understand why she did it," I said. Ranger nodded.

"I can too, but Stark Street is not the place for some woman, especially from the Burg." He stopped and thought for a moment.

"She isn't from the Burg, has only lived there three years. Lived in Norfolk Virginia before," I said. Ranger raised his eyebrow at me, and he gave me a half grin.

"Where did she get her Intel?" Ranger asked.

"She didn't say," Bobby said, "Just said that it wasn't that hard, just asked some questions. Like to know who her source was, we looked for that bastard for weeks."

"Where did she learn how to take people down?" Ranger asked.

"Dad was a SEAL," I said. Ranger raised and eyebrow then nodded.

"Send her a check," he said looking at Tank. "She assisted in a takedown, a very high profile takedown. She should get paid." Tank nodded. Ranger turned and walked back to the elevator. We talked to Tank for a few more minutes, and gave him her name and address to pass along to accounting.

"Oh, yeah and I forgot to mention," Bobby said grinning, "She asked Romeo here out for dinner." I shot him a look. He grinned back at me. Tank chuckled.

"Christ, Santos. You can pick them up anywhere," he said laughing turning back to the computer screen.

"Hey what can I say, she asked me," I said grinning. I turned and walked toward the elevator. It was in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and I was suddenly exhausted. Normally I would head back to my house, but the 4th floor apartment was looking good right now. I stepped into the elevator and punched the 4th floor button, still grinning.

Marisa's POV

After they dropped me off, and I let myself into the house, I watched from the window as they pulled away. I eased quietly up the stairs, not wanting to wake my Mom. I would have to deal with her tomorrow. I certainly didn't tell her my plans tonight. And with a little luck, she wouldn't find out. I would tell her that my car was stolen; she might buy that. If she knew the truth, she would have died to say the least.

Even though I was 23 years old, she still thought of me as a baby. Ever since Daddy died, it seemed to have gotten worse. I should have moved out on my own by now, but it seemed kind of hard to leave her. She was pretty dependent on me, and I wasn't sure how she would take it if I did.

I walked into my bedroom, and stripped off my clothes. I felt grubby to say the least. That whole area was disgusting. The smell had seemed to permeate my clothes, and hair. A shower was all I needed, and I would feel normal again. I was exhausted. I started the shower, and remembered what Bobby had told me. I gulped down 3 Advil and climbed into the shower.

I must have stood there forever. My mind kept playing back over the night's events. The rage that I had felt earlier had subsided somewhat. It was replaced by exhaustion. It had felt very good to kick Garcia, repeatedly. I was pretty sure that I had at least cracked his knee. The 'crunching' sound echoed through my head, and I flung open the shower and got sick.

As I sat, dripping wet and shivering over the toilet, tears stung my eyes. I did what was morally right, I kept telling myself. You couldn't let him get away with what he did to Casey. Not to mention the other two girls and boy. I slowly got up and turned off the shower. I dried myself off and walked back into my bedroom. I pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a small tank top. I dried my hair with the towel. At least something good came of tonight, I had met Lester. I still couldn't believe that I had just blurted 'Want to have dinner with me?' I didn't just ask guys out. To be honest I hadn't really dated since we moved to Trenton. A few guys from school, but nothing serious.

I had a serious boyfriend in Norfolk. He was a Navy man. Imagine that. But things with Tommy just didn't pan out. We dated for almost 3 years, and when we moved to Trenton, I called it off. It was going that way anyway, I just headed it off at the pass.

Lester was something else. I was really looking forward to seeing him on Thursday. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 2:35am. I had an early Advanced Psychology class tomorrow. I would probably blow that one off. I knew that I seriously needed some sleep.

I flopped on my bed and closed my eyes. I still couldn't help but smile at the thought of Lester's smile. It was my last conscious thought before drifting off.

I awoke the next morning to my alarm clock going off way too early. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 7:45am. YUCK! I just needed a few more minutes. My Mom knocked on my door and stuck her head in.

"Marisa?" she said quietly.

"Yeah, Mom," I answered.

"Just checking to see if you were awake. Did you have a good time last night?" She was fishing.

"Yeah, it was good. I met a really nice guy. I have a date with him tomorrow." I sat up in bed looking at her. She looked tired all of the time. Since my Dad had passed away she seemed to age overnight. My mom stood about 5'8, with light blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She had a few gray hairs showing, but she looked pretty good for 54.

"Oh, really" she said coming into my room and sitting on the bottom of the bed. "What's his name? What does he do?" That's my mom, Jessica Jacobs, curious.

"His name is Lester, and he works for a security company." Best to sugar coat it some. Mom thought that I had gone out with a few friends last night. No need to tell her how I met him or that he was a badass bounty hunter, for fun of course.

"Well I hope that you have a good time." She said smiling. "You going to class this morning, or are you gonna sleep in?" she asked grinning. I looked at the clock and groaned. I really needed some more sleep. I got up out of bed, and stretched.

"I think I'm gonna blow that one off." Mom gave me a glowering look. "I don't really need to go to Psych. Class. It's just a review this week anyway." Mom shrugged.

"I'm gonna start breakfast, come down when your ready." She said leaving my room.

I walked into the bathroom, took care of nature's call, brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror. I had dark circles under my eyes. I guess when you only get four hours sleep that will do it. I walked out of the bathroom and was starting down the stairs.

"MARISA! WHERE IS YOUR CAR?" I heard Mom yelling. I closed my eyes and prayed that she would believe me. I took a deep breath and rushed down the stairs.

"What?" I said running to the front door looking out. Mom came up behind me and opened the door.

"It's gone!" she said. I stepped out on the front porch.

"Just great!" I said. "I bet the damn thing was stolen. Now what in the hell am I going to do?" I worked up a few tears.

"Oh, honey," she said hugging me. "It'll be ok. We'll get you another one. Go inside and call the police. We need to report it stolen." She was rubbing her hands up and down my back.

"But I liked that car, MOM!" Tears were streaming down my face. And the Oscar goes to…..

"I know you liked that car honey. But it was just a car. Go inside and call the police." She was smoothing my hair now. I turned and walked into the house. WHEW! I thought. She bought that one. I looked up the number and dialed the police. They said that someone would be out to take my statement in a little while. I hung up and dialed my insurance company. I gave them all of the necessary information and they said that someone would be in touch. Bobby had been right. They didn't give you any shit if you said it was stolen.

I flopped down at the kitchen table. Mom sat a cup of coffee in front of me and sat down too. "You can use my car to get to school and work until we get the insurance check," She said. I nodded.

"I just liked that car." It wasn't like it was new or anything, but it had been a gift from my Mom and Dad when I turned 18. And I liked it. It was the last thing that I had gotten from my Dad.

"I know you did," she said taking my hand. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, and the doorbell rang. "That's probably the police," she said getting up. I followed her to the door. She opened it, and invited the two policemen in.

About 30 minutes later they had all the info that they needed. They seemed to buy my story no problem. They also informed us that Honda Accords are one of the most stolen cars. This little tidbit certainly helped my story. After they left, Mom went upstairs and got ready for work. Mom worked at a small travel agency. I flopped down on the couch. Ready for a nice long nap.

Mom came back downstairs about 45 minutes later dressed in a nice navy blue skirt suit. "I'm heading out, Marisa. Are you working at the library today?" she asked. I sat up on the couch.

"I have to call and get my schedule. If I do have to work I'll call a cab though, Mom don't worry." She nodded and came over and kissed me on the forehead.

"Call me if you need a ride tonight." I shook my head and she left. I lay back down on the couch. I would call my sister later, and tell her the deed was done. She was the only one who knew about my plan. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I was having the most delicious dream. It was about Lester. He was kissing down my chest and he slipped his hand into my pajama pants. God he was gorgeous. And talented. Within moments I was hearing bells ringing and I was almost to the point of singing the hallelujah chorus. The bells kept getting louder….and LOUDER… suddenly I was jarred awake. I shook my head a couple of times to clear the cobwebs. I realized it was only the doorbell. Now was damn disappointing. I looked at the clock. 11:00 am. I must have slept awhile. I got up and answered the door.

It was a certified letter. For me? I signed for it, and looked at the envelope. Who in the hell would be sending me a certified letter? I opened it and all that was inside was a check. A CHECK made out to me for $5000! It was from RangeMan, and signed by R. Manoso. What in the hell is this? Lester worked for RangeMan. Why in the hell would I be getting a check from them?

I went over to the phone and looked up the number for RangeMan and called. A deep voice answered the phone.

"RangeMan, how can I help you?"

"Hello, this is Marisa Jacobs. I need to speak with a," I paused and I looked at the name on the check, "Mr. Manoso."

"Hold, I'll see if he is in." The man placed me on hold for a few moments. Another deep voice came on the line.

"Hello, Ms. Jacobs this is Carlos Manoso."

"Hi, Mr. Manoso, I am afraid that there has been some kind of mix up. I received a check from your company this morning. I have no idea why, I wanted to make you aware of the error." I said chewing on my lip.

"Ms. Jacobs there has been no mistake. Did you not assist two of my employees in the apprehension of a Mr. Louis Garcia last night?"

I gulped.

"Please call me Marisa. Uh, I guess. I don't understand what that has to do with this."

"According to Bobby and Lester you were a key component in the capture of Mr. Garcia. They said you were the one who caught him. It is only fair that you be paid for your services." Ranger said.

"Uh, ok. Don't you think that this is a rather large amount?" I asked, still bewildered.

"Marisa, you helped out RangeMan, in an impressive way I am told. It is simply a gesture of appreciation," Ranger stated. I couldn't swear but I think he was grinning.

"Well, Mr. Manoso, I was there for personal reasons."

"So I heard," Ranger interrupted.

"Uh, well, I can assure you that it wasn't my intention to meddle in his apprehension. I don't feel like I can accept this money," I stated. God knew I could use it, but it didn't feel right.

"If you wish to not keep the money you can bring the check by here, but I think that you should reconsider. I understand that you had a mishap with your vehicle last night." Ranger stated.

"Yeah, it's gone," I snorted.

"Then use it for another," he said.

"Ok, thank you," I said, but I realized that he had already hung up. That is kind of rude. I stared down at the check. Holy Shit! How was I going to hide $5000 from my Mom? Cash it and stick it in savings. She won't know, I thought. I really didn't like telling my Mom all of these lies, and this web was getting bigger and bigger by the moment.

I sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. WOW. I wasn't sure what to think. I picked up the phone to dial my sister. She might have an idea.

Lester's POV

I awoke at 10:30. This was unusual. I never slept this late, and hell I still needed a few more hours of sleep, but the bed on the 4th floor wasn't all that comfy. I got up and took a shower. I got dressed and headed up to the 5th floor to the control room.

I walked in as Tank was standing up stretching. Shift change. I saw Ram and Cal, sitting in front of the screens. I said hello to them, and walked into the break room. Gotta love Ella. Fresh bagels, cream cheese, fruit, muffins all the breakfast stuff you could want. Tank followed me into the room.

"You seen Ranger?" I asked. Tank nodded.

"He's in his office." I nodded at Tank, "Why what's up?"

"I gotta talk to him about a few things," I said shrugging. Tank grinned at me. I walked out of the break room and headed through the control room and down the hall. I knocked on Ranger's office door and peeked inside. He was on the phone. He looked up and motioned me in.

"Then use it for another one," he said and hung up the phone.

"Ranger," I said walking in a taking a seat.

"What's up Santos?" he said shuffling through some files.

"I wanted to know if I could get Cal to cover my shift on Thursday," I said munching on my bagel. Ranger looked over at me.

"Everything ok?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, everything is good. I just have some plans on Thursday and I don't want to break them. The thing is I didn't realize that I was supposed to work surveillance that night, and I made some plans, and it is important that I keep them." Ranger looked at me.

"What kind of plans?" he asked grinning. He had been talking to Bobby I see.

"I have a date," I said. Ranger sat back in his chair.

"So I heard," he said smiling. I shrugged and grinned.

"Oh, yeah, you been talking to Brown?" I asked grinning. Ranger shrugged.

"He might have mentioned it. As a matter of fact, that was the lady in question on the phone when you came in," he stated. I looked at him wide eyed.

"Marisa?" I said shocked. Why in the hell would she be talking to Ranger? I felt a small stab of something that felt distinctly like jealousy.

"She called to question the check she got this morning," he said. I nodded. Ok, that made sense. She probably wasn't expecting something like that.

"So, you ok with me switching with Cal?" I asked. Ranger shrugged.

"Sure, but just so you know, you're on Steph duty next week," Ranger said grinning.

"Well at least that will be fun. I get hazard pay right?" I said laughing. I stood up and walked toward the office door. Ranger was laughing behind me.

"Probably a good idea."

I turned and nodded to Ranger. "Later," I said walking out of the office. So that was set for Thursday. I grinned to myself as I strolled to my office. Now where am I going to take her? I sat down at my desk and fired up my computer. The thing is that I don't know that much about her. And in our line of work that can be a dangerous thing. But isn't that the whole point of taking her out to get to know her?

I sat in front of my computer for a moment, contemplating whether I should run a search on her. That could be a little intrusive. I was sitting there when a light tap came at my door. "Come in," I called and immediately grinned when Steph walked through the door. "Hey Steph, what's up?"

"Hey Lester, I just got a quick question," Steph said walking in and taking a seat. "I'm having some trouble running a search. I keep coming up with dead ends. It's driving my nuts. Do you think that you could look at it for me? I keep staring at it, and I'm not getting anywhere. I know I am missing one piece, maybe a fresh set of eyes can find it."

"Sure, let me look at the file," I said. She handed me the file and got up. "Hey Steph, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she shrugged. Sometimes it a good thing to get a woman's prospective, especially if it is dealing with women.

"I have a date tomorrow night," I started. Steph immediately grinned.

"Oh, yeah, with who?" she asked.

"Her name is Marisa."

"Where did you meet her?" I grinned. You could always count on Steph for a few questions. Her natural curiosity is what made her such an asset to RangeMan.

"Last night while taking in a FTA." Steph laughed.

"She isn't the FTA is she?"

"No, but she is the one that caught him," I grinned, Steph laughed.

"So what's the question?"

I took a deep breath.

"Do you think that it would be a bad idea to run a search on her? I mean I don't know that much about her, and you can never be too careful, but at the same time, it can be a little intrusive." I looked up at Steph. She was gaping at me.

"You can't be serious?" I looked at her. "What is it with you guys, can't you just go on a date and have a good time? Why do you always have to turn it into some sort of investigation? Do you have a feeling about her?" I gave her an evil grin. Steph rolled her eyes. "Not THAT kind of feeling. Why don't you just take a chance? Maybe you won't even click and nothing will come of it. Then maybe you will click and well who knows."

"You're right. Maybe I am just reading into things too much. Got any suggestions where to take her?"

"Dinner and dancing. Can't go wrong there," Steph said laughing. Just then her cell phone rang, the Batman theme song. I raised my eyebrow and she blushed. "Ranger," she said looking at me and shrugging. I started laughing. "See you later," she said leaving and answering the phone.

Maybe Steph was right. It was a date not an interrogation. I sighed and looked at the file Steph had given me. I slipped into reading the file and made a few notations that Steph might have missed. I glanced at the clock. It was 4:30; I decided that I would head home for the day. I was still bone tired from last night and definitely needed a nap in my own bed.

I walked out of my office and down the hall to the control room. "Hey Cal," I called. Cal turned around from the monitor.

"'Sup, Santos?"

"Remember that favor you owe me?" I asked grinning. Cal shook his head.

"Yeah?"

"I'm calling it in. I need you to cover me Thursday night. Its just surveillance, no big deal." Cal looked at me.

"Oh, you going out with that hottie Thursday?" he asked laughing. I shook my head. These guys gossiped worse than little old women.

"Yeah. That cool?"

"Sure, man, no problem. But we want all of the juicy details," he said laughing and nudging Ram. Ram turned and grinned.

"Yeah in full detail," Ram said laughing. I shook my head and headed to the elevator.

Marisa POV

_Late Thursday afternoon_

I jumped into Mom's car and headed for home. My job at the library is ok, just boring as shit sometimes. And the fact that I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything due to my date tonight didn't help. I pulled up in front of the house, and saw my sister's car parked in front.

As I walked through the door my, niece, Casey and my nephew, Evan, bombarded me. I laughed as I tried to juggle these two handfuls and make my way into the kitchen in between cries of "Aunt Isa!" I came into the kitchen and saw my sister, Jennifer, and my mom having coffee.

"Hey guys," I said setting Casey down. Evan was still attached to my leg. I ruffled his hair.

"I see you were greeted by your fan club," Mom laughed, as she pulled Casey onto her lap. Casey is three, and she was still seeing the psychologist over the incident with Mr. Garcia. They were hopeful that the trauma she experienced wouldn't have any lasting results. Evan is five, and the spitting image of Jennifer. Blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a grin that tells you he is always up to something.

"Of course she was. They were so bummed that her car wasn't here when we got here," Jennifer said laughing.

"Where's your car Aunt Isa?" Evan asked. I hunched down to his eye level.

"Someone else decided that they wanted it, so they took it," I said. Evan's eyes got wide.

"Like stole it?" He asked. I nodded.

"But it's ok buddy, I'll get another one," I said giving him a raspberry on the cheek. Evan squealed and took off to the living room to watch more cartoons. Casey squealed too, and squirmed off of Mom's lap and took off after him. I flopped down at the kitchen table.

"So tell me about your date," Jen said laughing. I shrugged.

"I will after I've gone on it," I said sticking out my tongue. Jen laughed.

"Where are you going, what are you going to wear?" I rolled my eyes.

"Not sure," I said glancing at my watch. It was already 4:45. "Speaking of which, I need to get a shower, and try to decide." I said getting up, and walking toward the stairs.

"Oh, I'll help you," Jen said following.

"I do know how to get ready for a date Jen," I said and I walked up the stairs, with Jen right behind me.

"Uh, yeah, when was the last time you had a date? Honey you need all the help you can get," she said swatting me on the butt. "Besides I need to talk to you," she whispered. I nodded and headed into my bedroom. Jen flopped on the bed.

"What's up?" I asked opening my closet, staring at the jumble of clothes.

"I really do appreciate what you did, Marisa. I don't have words to express it." I turned and looked at her.

"It's ok, Jen. I did it for Casey. It needed to be done the thought of that

Scum walking around is just too much. And besides I met Lester," I said grinning. I had already filled Jen in on what went down two nights ago. And she knew all about Lester. The questions were just a show for Mom.

"I know I just want to put all of this behind us and get on with our lives. With that fucking asshole behind bars, maybe we can do it." I looked at Jen and the unshed tears in her eyes.

"It's done, Jen. It's over. He isn't going anywhere for a long time." I said rummaging around in my closet. "What about this?" I asked pulling out a bulky turtleneck sweater. Jen looked at me like I was nuts.

"You really do need help," she said getting up and picking through my closet. "Why don't you jump into the shower, and I'll take care of the outfit."

"Oh, God help me. I want to look nice Jen, not slutty, keep that in mind," I said laughing and heading toward the bathroom. I took my time in the shower. I was trying to calm my nerves down. I don't know why I was so nervous, but I did like him. It's just a date, I kept telling my self. I stepped out of the shower and looked at my watch on the counter. 5:30! Shit! I dried off and headed back into my bedroom.

Jen had everything, I think, pulled out of my closet. She looked up at me as I came through the door. "Aren't you a prune yet?" she asked teasing. I tossed her a look. She just grinned. "So this is the one," she said holding up a small black dress.

"I don't even know what we are doing? Don't you think that is too much?" The dress had small spaghetti straps, and was pretty low cut. I knew from past experience that it clung in all the right places and flared slightly just past my hips. The back of it dropped almost to my waist, leaving my whole back exposed. No bra with that one.

"Trust me, this is the one," she said holding it up. In her other hand she held a black satin wrap. "Wear those shoes," she said pointing at the 4 inch black fuck me pumps on my floor.

"I told you, not slutty." Jen laughed.

"Marisa, this isn't slutty, it's classy. And don't forget first impressions go a long way."

"I think that my first impression was enough." I mumbled and I dried my hair. I brushed out my hair and let it do it's own thing. It bounced in loose curls, and I hadn't had it cut in awhile, so it was half way down my back.

"I gotta get going, Kevin will be home shortly, and I got to get the kids some dinner." Jen said hugging me quickly. "Call me tomorrow," she said as she rushed out of the room. I looked at the dress and sighed. I had bought it on a whim, and I had only worn it once, and it was a nice dress.

I slipped on a pair of black lace panties, sheer black thigh highs, and slipped on the dress. I looked at my self in the mirror. Not bad. I glanced at the clock 6:30. Shit! Gotta get it in gear! I kept my make-up simple. A little bronze color eye shadow, touch of eyeliner, and a few swipes of mascara. I went with a bronze tinted lip-gloss. A squirt of Cool Water, and that was it. I grabbed a small black clutch, slipped on my shoes, said a small prayer that I wouldn't fall and break my damn neck and walked down stairs.

Mom was sitting in the living room. She turned and looked at me. "Oh, Marisa! You look wonderful!" she said standing. I smiled and turned around.

"Not too much?" I asked hesitantly. She shook her head.

"No, you look fantastic! This Lester guy isn't going to know what hit him!" Just then the doorbell rang. I looked over at Mom.

"Show time," I mumbled as I adjusted my wrap, and opened the door.

Lester POV

I pulled up in front of Marisa's house, and to tell you the truth, I was a little nervous. Not sure why. I don't get nervous. I've been in third world countries with missiles flying over my head, and felt more at ease than right now. I took a deep breath and got out of my Range Rover and walked up to the door.

When she opened the door I forgot to breathe. Gorgeous isn't the word. She was wearing a little black dress that clung to her like a second skin. It hugged her breasts and small waist. Her hair was down and flowing in soft curls around her. I swallowed and looked her in the eye.

"Hi, Lester," she said stepping back. "Come in." I nodded and stepped forward into the house.

"Wow, Marisa, you look wonderful," was all I could manage. She gave me a blinding smile.

"Thank you. This is my mother, Jessica Jacobs." She motioned toward a beautiful blonde lady standing over to the side. "Mom, this is Lester Santos." I stepped forward and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Jacobs." God, I felt like a 17 year old. Mrs. Jacobs smiled at me, and I could see where Marisa got her looks.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Lester. Please call me Jessica." I nodded and turned my attention back to Marisa. "Well you two have fun," she said as she walked into the kitchen. Marisa looked at me.

"Ready?" Marisa asked. I swallowed. God I hope so, I thought.

"Yeah, lets go," I said opening the door. She walked out in front of me, and I saw the back of the dress, and my suit pants suddenly felt a couple of sizes to small. I opened the door of the Range Rover for her and she climbed in. I couldn't help but glance at her perfect, tan legs when her dress rode up as she adjusted herself in the seat.

Marisa looked up at me and grinned. Shit, busted. I shut the door and walked around to the driver side, taking a few deep breaths along the way. My God! She was GORGEOUS! And that dress! Christ, it would take all of my will power to keep from mauling her. Get it together, Santos. I recited in my head over and over.

I climbed in and looked over at her. She smiled.

"So what do you have planned?" she asked.

"Well, I thought that we could go to dinner at Rossini's and then maybe hit a nice little place downtown for some dancing. How does that sound?" She looked at me and smiled again.

"Sounds like fun. What kind of place downtown?"

"Just a little Latin club. They play salsa music, some light jazz, that sort of thing." I glanced over at her, and glanced back at the road. If I looked at her too long I might drive off the road. She laughed.

"Sounds like a lot of fun," she said grinning. I smiled back, and headed toward Rossini's.

Marisa POV

Holy Shit, I thought. He looked unbelievable. That was all I could think when I opened the door. He was wearing a very nice charcoal gray suit, and a dark blue button down dress shirt. No tie, and the top buttons were open slightly exposing his smooth skin. The jacket fit snugly and made his shoulders look even bigger. His short, dark hair was sticking up all over on top in that 'I just got out of bed and I'm still freaking hot' kind of way. His dark eyes shined.

As we were walking to his SUV I heard him gasp a little. Guess he liked the back of my dress I thought grinning. I would have to remember to thank Jen. Dinner and dancing sounded nice, but I had to admit, I was a little concerned about the salsa. I can dance, kind of, but salsa looks really hard. With these shoes on, hell I will be lucky if I don't break my neck. I looked at Lester's SUV, holy shit, a huge black Range Rover, with large shiny wheels. Nice.

He opened the door for me and I climbed in. I noticed him looking down at my legs where my dress had rode up some. I had to grin. He caught me looking and quickly glanced away, and shut the door.

Lester made idle conversation on the way to the restaurant. He kept glancing at me, and then back at the road. I have the feeling that he likes what he sees. He has had a constant grin since he picked me up. I was starting to relax a little. Lester just had a way of putting me at ease.

We pulled up in front of the restaurant and Lester jumped out to open my door, and handed the keys to the valet. He flashed me a heart-stopping smile and placed his hand at the small of my back as we made our way inside. The hostess greeted us and she showed us to our table.

We sat looking at the menu for a few moments. "Lester?" I asked setting my menu aside.

"Yeah," he said grinning.

"This may sound strange, but I have a favor to ask of you," I said chewing on my lip. I really didn't want to get him into my web of lies where my mother was concerned, but I needed to cover my tracks.

"Sure, what do you need?" He asked.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything around my mother about how we met. She has no idea about what happened the other night, and I would like to keep it that way," I said looking at him nervously. He grinned.

"What you don't want your Mom to know that you are a student by day, and as ass kicking avenger by night," he teased.

"Something like that," I said laughing. The waiter came over to our table.

"Good evening, my name is Paolo, and I will be taking care of you this evening. Would you care to hear our specials?" He asked, setting a basket of bread on the table. Both Lester and I nodded. "Tonight we have a wonderful Fruiti de Mare, with scallops, shrimp, lobster, mussels and clams in a tarragon cream sauce served over angel hair pasta. We also are featuring a Veal Osso Bucco, with a wild mushroom demi-glace, roasted asparagus, and Duchess potato. And our last special for tonight is a Saffron Risotto, topped with a braised lamb shank. Would you care to see our wine list?"

"That would be nice," Lester said looking at the wine menu.

"Excellent, sir, I will return momentarily," Paolo said bowing slightly and leaving the table.

"So what are you thinking of having?" Lester asked while looking at the menu.

"I think that I am going to have the Veal Scaloppini with the white truffle gnocchi, and sautéed spinach," I said placing my menu on the table. "What about you?" Lester thought for a minute.

"I'm thinking the Osso Bucco sounds good. Lets order a nice Merlot." Lester said grinning. I nodded and smiled.

Paolo returned shortly and Lester placed the wine order, and we both placed our entrée orders. After sampling the wine, Lester nodded and Paolo filled both of our glasses. The wine was delicious, and I defiantly needed something to take the edge off.

"So what are you studying?" Lester asked.

"I'm studying to be a Profiler," I said. Lester looked up at me in surprise.

"Really," he said.

"Yeah, you know, try to help police piece together what makes these nut jobs tick," I said laughing. "I started out majoring in teaching, but that didn't work out. I wanted to do something that could really help. Not that teaching doesn't, but I wanted to help with all of the crime that goes on everyday," I said, taking another sip of my wine.

"So when will you be finished?"

"Next semester. I've been working on my thesis for the past 4 months, and I'm almost there."

"Do you plan on sticking around here, or are you thinking of moving to D.C.? Maybe work with the FBI?" Lester asked watching me. I nodded.

"I'm hoping to get on with Trenton P.D. or Newark. My family is here now, so I would like to stay closer to them. My niece and nephew are growing up so fast, I wanna be around," I said smiling. Lester relaxed a little. "Why?"

"Well I just thought it would be a shame if you decided to take off in a few months, cutie. I'd like you to be around here too," he said winking at me. I blushed. Just then Paolo came with our food. It looked delicious! Lester and I both plowed into our food.

"Wow, this is unbelievable," I said in between bites.

Lester nodded. "This is great," he said looking up at me.

"So did you grow up here?" I asked glancing up from my food.

"No, I grew up in Miami. I ended up here after I got out of the Army, and Ranger asked if I wanted a job at RangeMan. That was almost 8 years ago. I've been here ever since," Lester said sitting back from his food.

"Ranger?" I asked puzzled. Lester grinned.

"Yeah, Carlos Manoso, I think you spoke to him on the phone."

"Oh, that guy. He's kind of rude. He just hung up on me," I said. Lester burst out laughing.

"That's Ranger," he said continuing to eat his food.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"I have two older sisters, Maria lives in Los Angeles and she is married but no kids yet. Gina is the middle child and she lives in Tampa. My parents still live in Miami. They are both retired, so they take it easy on the beach now." He said grinning.

"So you're the baby," I said smiling, sitting back from my food.

"Yeah, I'm the baby," he said grinning.

"How old are you?" I asked. Great, just blurt out questions Marisa, I thought. "I'm sorry, that was probably a rude question." Lester laughed and shook his head.

"I'll be 30 next month. It isn't a rude question, you want to know anything, just ask. My turn to ask questions," He said grinning.

Paolo came over and cleared our plates, and offered dessert. We both declined and opted for coffee instead.

"Sure what do you want to know," I said leaning forward. Lester looked at me and smiled. I needed to concentrate when he smiles at me I forget to think.

"How old are you? Where do you work? What's your favorite color, flower, movie, music?" I laughed.

"Ok, let me just give you the run down," I said grinning. "I work at the Trenton Public Library, it's an ok job, just really boring. I'm 23 my birthday is in August. Favorite color is cobalt blue, flower would be tulips, and movies there are a few." I said thinking for a minute. "Right now, I really like Kill Bill Volume 2, and The Transporter. I like all types of music. I like classic rock, alternative, and some heavy metal. And I like to read a lot." I sat back in my chair. "Did that cover everything?"

"A lot of info at once, cutie." Lester laughed. "But I asked for it didn't I?" I laughed with him. "Why did you ask me out?" He asked looking at me seriously.

"That's an easy one," I said grinning, "Because I wanted to." Lester flashed me a beaming smile, and leaned forward and took my hand from across the table.

"I'm glad that you did," he said rubbing his thumb against the palm of my hand. I felt a little shiver run down my spine, and I broke out in goose bumps.

I smiled back at him. "Me too."

Paolo came over and dropped our check; both Lester and I reached for it. Lester looked at me kind of funny.

"I've got it," he said pulling out his wallet.

"I figured that since I asked you out it would be my treat," I said. Lester looked at my like I was crazy.

"Cutie, I don't know if that is how those college boys are doing it these days, but I was raised with some manners. You take a stunningly gorgeous woman out, you pay for her dinner," he said winking at me. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. "Even if she did ask you." He laughed. He placed a couple of bills into the little black folder and looked at me. "You ready to head downtown?" I nodded and we both got up from the table.

Lester escorted me out of the restaurant, once again placing his hand at the small of my back. Every time he touched me it was like electricity shot through me, but it left me with a wonderful warm feeling. We waited for the valet to bring the car up. I shivered. "You cold, sweetie?" Lester asked looking at me with concern.

"No, I'm ok," I said pulling my wrap around me. It was actually quite the opposite. I was burning up. Every time he smiled at me or touched me I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. I couldn't tell him that though. The valet pulled Lester's Range Rover up and Lester opened the door for me. I climbed inside, and he came around and hopped in.

"Ready for some fun?" He asked smiling. I smiled back.

"Oh yeah," I said. We both laughed and Lester pulled away, heading toward the club.

_Fruiti de Mare translation Fruits of the Sea, Italian._

Lester POV

So not only is she beautiful, she's smart and funny. I am going to have to be careful around this one. I glanced at her sitting in the seat, looking out the window. A profiler, how cool is that? I thought. She shocked the hell out of me by wanting to pay for dinner. Another other thing that was bothering me was every time I said something about her being beautiful she seemed to get kind of uncomfortable. Obviously she has been dating 'kids' who didn't know how to treat a beautiful woman.

Well she needs to prepare herself. I'm getting ready to whip out all of my charm. I was making a mental list as we pulled up in front of El Grato Negro. (The Black Cat) Bouquet of tulips to the library tomorrow, ask her if she's working. Invite her over to my place on Sunday, we can hang out and watch movies, and……ok slow down don't wanna scare her off. I took a deep breath and looked over at her again. Marisa looked at me and smiled.

"So you dance a lot?" she asked. I looked at her and grinned.

"Not as much as I like," I replied. I quickly found a parking spot, and got out to open her door. I helped her out, beeped my SUV locked and we headed into the club. I nodded to the bouncer, and I noticed how he gaped at Marisa. I shot him a smile and we headed into the club.

"Lucky bastard," he grumbled as we walked by. Yep, that's me.

Marisa was looking around checking out her surroundings. I like that. She seems to always be observant. The club was kind of loud, there was a live band playing. They played a mixture of jazz and salsa. I'd heard them before. I guided Marisa to a table towards the back, away from the crowd. She took the seat with her back to the crowd, and let me have the seat with my back against the wall.

In a moment the waitress came over. "What can I get for you all?" She asked. I smiled up at her.

"What would you like Marisa?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "Crown and coke," she said.

Guess she's going for the hard stuff, I thought with a chuckle.

"Corona," I said. The waitress nodded and headed toward the bar. I looked across the table at Marisa. She was turned and watching the couples dance. She turned back to me and smiled. "You wanna dance?" I asked.

"I'll give it a try," she said nervously. "That looks a little tough." She motioned over where the couples were dancing. They were dancing to a lively salsa song.

"Don't worry, just follow my lead," I winked at her and stood up. She took my hand and followed me onto the dance floor. She seemed a little hesitant at first, but in no time she caught on. I spun her around and pulled her back to me. Marisa was laughing and enjoying herself. God she was so beautiful. I was just in awe. We were dancing close and the band slipped into a slower song.

Marisa smiled at me and slipped her arms up around my neck, and pulled herself closer to me. I tightened my grip on her waist and pulled her until her body was molded against mine. "This is more my speed," she giggled.

"Hey you were doing well before. But I think that I prefer this too," I leaned down and nuzzled against her neck. I got a little moan in response. I couldn't help but smile. "Did I tell you what a great time I have been having tonight?" I whispered against her ear. I felt her shudder.

"I've had a great time too," she said moving closer. We were swaying to the music. Her body was pressed up next to me in all the right places. She felt so good, so soft. I breathed in her scent, cool and fresh. I placed a light kiss on her neck, and smiled as I watched her skin break out into goose flesh.

The song ended, and I took her hand and led her back over to our table where our drinks waited. Marisa took her seat and sipped her drink.

I looked over at her. Her bright blue eyes sparkled. She smiled at me sweetly. "This was a good choice," she said. "Bet you bring all your dates here."

"Nah, just the special ones," I said grinning. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Marisa," I said taking her hand, "I meant what I said. I have had a wonderful time tonight. I was hoping that I could convince you to maybe get together with me again. Say Sunday?"

She flashed me a blinding smile and nodded. "That would be great. I have to work until 5 but after that I'm free."

"Great, then I will pick you up at your house at 6. I thought maybe I could show you my place and we could just hang out. Maybe grab some dinner and watch a movie. That sound ok?"

She nodded. "That sounds great," she squeezed my hand and nodded toward the dance floor. "Wanna give it another try?"

"Hey, I can go all night, cutie let's go." I said standing up and taking her hand.

"We'll see about that," she laughed.

We danced the next 4 or 5 songs. Some fast but mostly slow. She was driving me crazy. The way her body fit against mine, it was like it belonged there. She moved closer to me, and I slid my hands up her bare back. Her skin was so smooth. I looked down at her, and she was looking up at me. I leaned in slowly and placed a light kiss on her soft, pouty lips.

Marisa returned the gesture. She opened her mouth and slowly ran her tongue across my lips. I groaned and pulled her closer. I slid my hand up her back, across her shoulder and to the side of her face. I plunged my tongue into her mouth and she responded. She tasted so sweet. She was making these sexy whimpering noises in the back of her throat. I realized then that the music had stopped and reluctantly broke the kiss.

Marisa looked up at me with her wide blue eyes and smiled. We walked back over to our table and order a couple more drinks. We talked for a long time. She told me about her Dad and school. I told her more about my family and a little about working for RangeMan. The bartender called last call. I looked down at my watch.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"2 a.m.," I responded grinning. Jesus this night had flown by.

"As much as I hate to do this, I guess I should be getting home. I have an early class tomorrow," She said frowning.

I nodded. "I'll go settle up at the bar, and we'll get going," I said standing up.

"I'm just going to go to the restroom, and I'll meet you at the bar," she smiled. She stood up and walked toward the back of the club. I watched her walk away. The gentle sway of her hips was intoxicating, and her long legs moved so gracefully. I caught myself wondering what it would feel like to have those legs wrapped around my waist as I ………damn Santos, get it together!

I shook my head and walked to the bar. I paid our tab, and turned to see Marisa walking toward me. I noticed how every other man and a couple of women watched her walk across the club. I couldn't help but grin. Yep, she's with me. We walked out of the club and down the street to my SUV. I opened the door for her, and she stopped and turned toward me.

She moved up close to me and stood on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss against my lips. It caught me by surprise, but instinctively my arms immediately encircled her waist and pulled her close. Her tongue thrust into my mouth and this time it was my turn to groan. I pushed her against the SUV and ran my hand from her waist up and down her back. She moaned and pulled me closer. Her hands were clutched in my shirt. I ran my hand over the smooth curve of her ass, and pulled her tighter to me.

She shifted and I placed my thigh in between her legs. I could feel her hot against my leg and my world record erection grew even harder, if that was possible. I slid my other hand down, and cupped her sweet ass I pulled her tighter against me. She was making those damn sexy moans and whimpers in the back of her throat. I broke the kiss and pulled away.

"Damn Marisa, what you do to me. We keep this up and you aren't going to make it home," I said grinning. I looked down at her. Her lips were slightly puffy and pink from the kiss, and she was a little out of breath.

"I'm thinking that isn't such a bad idea," she said huskily.

I had to laugh. She is defiantly direct and to the point. Something to be said for that.

"As much as I would like to do nothing but that, you have an early class tomorrow," she looked up at me and pouted. "Sweetie, trust me, when this happens I want to be able to take my time." I leaned down and placed a light kiss on her neck. "I want to be able to go nice," I licked her neck lightly, and she whimpered, "and slow." I pulled away then.

She was flushed, and I didn't think that I had ever seen anyone more stunning in my life. She turned then and hopped up into my SUV. I closed her door and walked around, taking a few deep breaths. Down boy you gotta get her home, I thought to myself. I climbed in and pulled away from the curb and headed toward Marisa's house. I reached over and took her hand and she smiled at me sweetly. Oh yeah, I'm in trouble.

Marisa POV

My mind is racing, and my heart is pounding! OMG! I have never ever had anyone just look at me and totally set me on fire! When he kissed me it wasn't just a kiss; it was like he devoured me! Lester seemed to be concentrating on the road. I stole glances at him from time to time.

He reached over and took my hand. It was so warm and comforting and all I could think about was where else his hands had touched tonight. Or rather where else I wanted his hands to touch, and his mouth, and his tongue…..STOP! My mind screamed! You have acted like a big enough slut tonight! What can I say it's been a while.

Lester pulled up in front of my house, and killed the engine. We sat there for a moment. "Lester," I said shyly, he turned and looked at me. "I hope that you didn't think that I was to straight forward back there. I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I tend to suffer from that disease you know, the one where you think it, and then you just say or do it. If I offended you in anyway, I really am sorry." Lester burst out laughing.

"Sweetie, I have to admit, you knocked me for a loop, but I sure as hell wasn't offended. In fact I love that you just say what's on your mind. I don't want you to think that you have to sugar coat things around me. If you think it say it. That's one of the things that I find so attractive about you. You aren't like other women. You don't beat around the bush about anything. I think it's great." He leaned over and placed his hand on the side of my face. He flashed me a brilliant smile and placed a light kiss on my lips.

I leaned into the kiss, and felt desire shoot through me. Lester pulled away and looked at me. "Don't get me wrong cutie; you have no idea how badly I want to do this. But I want to take it a little slower. I really want to get to know you first. I like you a lot, and I certainly want to take this the next level. I just want it to be right, you know?"

I looked up into his chocolate brown eyes and melted. Not only is he gorgeous, but he's a gentleman too. Here I am all but throwing it at him, and he wants to take it slower. I smiled. Lester leaned in and placed another kiss on my lips. "Thank you," he said grinning.

"For what?" I asked puzzled.

"For being by far the most interesting," kiss, "gorgeous," kiss, "surprising," kiss, "date that I have ever had." Lester looked at me and gave me a lop-sided grin. He hopped out of the car and came around to my side and opened my door.

I slid out of the SUV, and felt my knees buckle a little. Lester placed his hand at the small of my back and walked me up to the door. I was trembling now, and I felt tears behind my eyes. No one had ever said anything even remotely that nice to me, ever. The wave of emotions that rocked over me was staggering. I wasn't sure how to handle it.

"Marisa, you ok?" Lester asked with concern. He held my face in is strong, warm hands. I nodded.

"I'm ok," my voice was a little broken. "I'm sorry, but I have never….." Shit! Stop blubbering, I thought.

"Never what?" He asked really concerned now. I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"I've never had anyone ever say anything that nice to me before. I am the one that should be thanking you, Lester. This was by far and away the best date I have ever been on. You made me feel so special, and well I'm at a loss for words." I said grinning up at him. I saw his eyes darken and he crushed his lips to mine. I clung to his shoulders and pressed myself against him. Lester pulled away.

"Marisa, there was no need for me to make you feel special, you should already know that you are. And I meant every word I said." He brushed a tear away with his thumb. "Don't cry, sweetie." He kissed my cheek.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry. I guess that it just surprised me that's all. Don't worry they are tears of happiness," I said grinning.

"Those are the best kind," he said grinning. "Oh, by the way, are you working tomorrow?" I nodded.

"Yeah, 10-4, why?" Lester grinned

"You get a lunch break?"

"Yeah I get 30 minutes."

"I think I may have to run to the library tomorrow and get a few books, maybe we could have lunch?" He gave me a heart-stopping smile. I nodded.

"That would be nice. Call my cell before you come by, and I'll be waiting." I opened my clutch and pulled out a pen. I fumbled around and found something to write on and jotted down my number. I handed it to him. He glanced at it and stuck it in his pocket. He leaned in and placed a feather light kiss on my lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said grinning. I smiled and let my self into the house.

I watched Lester out of the window until he drove away. I let out a huge sigh. This had been the most wonderful night. I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom. I got undressed and slipped on my pajamas. I set my alarm clock and crawled into bed.

I lay there for a long time rethinking tonight's events. Lester was unbelievable. He was such a complete and total gentleman. He was nothing like any of the other guys I had ever dated. And what do you do Marisa? Try like hell to get in his pants, I thought. I couldn't help but giggle. He could just look at me and make me melt. I fell asleep with a grin on my face.

I awoke WAY to early the next morning. I drug my self out of bed and into the shower. I met up with Mom downstairs over coffee.

"So how did it go?" she asked looking at me grinning. Guess I was still wearing a stupid smile.

"It was unbelievable. I had the most wonderful time. We had dinner and we went dancing. He is just so," I thought chewing on my lip for a moment.

"Perfect?" mom laughed.

"Yeah, I guess he is," I said smiling.

"Not to mention he is very attractive," Mom said getting up and putting her coffee mug in the sink. She turned and looked at me. "He seemed like a very nice man. Are you going to see him again?"

"Yeah were supposed to have lunch today and get together on Sunday," I said smiling.

"He's pulling out all the stops huh? He must really like you too. Good. It's about time that you met a nice man. I just hope he understands how special you are and treats you the way you deserve to be treated," she said heading upstairs. "Oh, do you need my car today? I can call Shannon and get a ride from her."

"Yeah hopefully the insurance check will get here soon," I sighed.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. The police called yesterday and they found your car. It was down in the ghetto, stripped to nothing. I'm sorry honey. If your not busy tomorrow I can take you and we can see about getting you another one," Mom said looking at me.

"Yeah guess we should do that," I sighed and looked down at my watch. "Shit, I have got to get going," I said grabbing my backpack. I went over and kissed Mom on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight," I said heading out the door.

"Be careful," Mom called behind me.

I made my way through Advance Criminal Psychology, barely. My mind kept drifting back to Lester. I had to shake my head a couple of times to try to get my focus back in class. After class I headed over to the library. As I walked in I ran into Natalie, another part timer.

"Hey Natalie," I said walking by.

"Hey Marisa, there is something for you back in Carol's office," she said grinning.

"What is it?" Usually if there was something for me in Carol's office it wasn't good. Carol was the head librarian and a hell of a crab. I managed to get along with her most of the time.

"You'll see," Natalie said grinning. I shrugged and walked back to Carol's office.

I pecked on the door that was ajar and stuck my head in. Carol looked up at me from her desk. "Hello Carol," I said walking in.

"Oh, Marisa these were delivered for you this morning," she said motioning toward a huge bouquet of red tulips sitting in a large vase on her desk. I instantly smiled.

"They are beautiful," I said looking at the card. _Had a great time last night, can't wait for lunch. Have a great day, Lester._ I all but swooned. I had never gotten flowers before. OMG! They were gorgeous! I stood running my fingers across the smooth petals. He remembered the tulips, I thought grinning.

"They certainly are," Carol said smiling. "I don't know who they are from but you must have made some impression."

"I had a wonderful date last night. I guess he had a good time too," I said smiling. "I'm gonna leave these here if that is ok. I'll grab them on my way out this afternoon."

"That's fine. A man who sends flowers like that is a keeper," Carol said going back to her paperwork. "Do you know how hard it is to find tulips in July? And from the looks of them they were pretty expensive too," she said looking up at me. I shrugged.

"Thanks Carol," I said leaving her office and heading back up front.

I jumped into my work still with a silly grin on my face. I was reshelving books when my cell phone chirped. I looked down at the number. I didn't know it so it must be Lester.

"Hello," I said with a wide smile on my face.

"Hey cutie," Lester answered. "Did you get the flowers?"

"Lester they are gorgeous! Thank you so much. I am definitely the envy of every woman here," I said laughing.

"I'm glad that you liked them. What time are you taking lunch?"

I looked down at my watch. "It's 11:45 now so anytime you're free," I said.

"How about now," he said chuckling.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I just pulled up out front," he said laughing. "See you in 2," he said and disconnected. I reshelved the books on my cart in record time and walked toward the front.

He was standing close to the front desk looking around. My breath caught in my throat. He looked just as amazing as he had last night. He was dressed all in black. Black cargo pants, black boots, black t-shirt that looked like it was painted on. His muscular arms were straining against the shirt and I noticed part of a tattoo on his left arm peaking out from under his shirt. He still had his sunglasses on. Yep, you guessed it they were black too. He looked delicious, and he certainly stood out in the Trenton Public Library.

Lester slipped his sunglasses up to rest on his head as he caught site of me. A huge lop-sided grin appeared on his face and he started walking toward me. "Hey there cutie," he said leaning down and placing a light kiss on my lips.

"Hey," was all I could manage. "Let me grab my purse and we'll go," I said walking behind the counter. I noticed Natalie gaping from behind the desk. I gave her a wink. "Nat, I'm going to lunch. See you later," I said grabbing my purse and heading back toward Lester.

"Uh ok," she stuttered.

I flashed her a smile as Lester threw his arm around my shoulders and we headed out. "Where did you park?" I asked.

"I'm over here," he said motioning toward a huge black Ford Expedition. He guided me over and opened the door. I climbed in and he came around and hopped in the driver's seat. "Now I can do this properly," he said pulling me toward him. I smiled as he kissed me. His tongue thrust into my mouth and I whimpered. I clung to his shoulders and rubbed my tongue against his. My mind was spiraling and a flash of heat shot through me. God he certainly knew how to kiss, I thought.

Lester pulled away and looked at me grinning. "So now that's taken care of, what do you feel like eating?" he asked chuckling.

I shook my head to get my bearings. "There is a great deli close by, we could grab a sandwich. That sound ok?"

"Sounds perfect," he said pulling away from the curb.

Lester POV

After I dropped Marisa off I drove to my place. My condo is just outside of Trenton in a quiet complex. I bought this place about 4 years ago. Before that I had an apartment on the 4th floor of RangeMan. I liked the apartment at RangeMan, but the downside of living there is that if some shit happens, you are the first that they call.

So I bought this place. It was the first place that was mine. Not my parents, not the governments, and not Ranger's, but mine.

I pulled into my garage and killed the engine. I couldn't stop smiling. Marisa was amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about her, and hell my pants still felt way to tight. I walked into the mudroom, which adjoins the garage to the kitchen, and flipped the light on in the kitchen. I laid my keys on the counter and headed into the living room and up the stairs.

Marisa had surprised me tonight. I had a feeling that she would be fun to hang around with, but I had no idea how much fun we would have. It surprised me when she said that no one had ever said anything that nice to her before. What kind of idiots has she been dating? She was so interesting. It baffles me how any man couldn't see how great she was. Their loss my gain I thought. I grinned when I thought of the way that she talked about her family, especially her niece and nephew; her face just lit up. It was obvious they were the apples of her eyes.

I couldn't believe how fast the night had flown by. I was excited about tomorrow's lunch date. I chucked off my clothes and laid them over the back of the chair in my bedroom. I stretched out on my king size bed and thought about tonight.

I hadn't meant to maul her the way that I did back at the restaurant. But God when she leaned up and kissed me I stopped thinking. She felt so soft and the way that she clung to me drove me crazy. I yawned and closed my eyes. I needed some sleep. I dozed off with a grin on my face.

When I rolled into the control room at RangeMan the next morning I saw Bobby, and Tank watching the screens. Bobby turned and looked at me as I exited the elevator.

"Well Romeo, how did it go?" he asked laughing.

"It was awesome," I grinned. Ram and Cal walked into the control room.

"'Sup Santos," Cal said.

"Details," Ram said grinning. I shook my head.

"Nothing to tell boys," I said heading toward my office.

"You sure grinnin' like there's something to tell," Tank laughed. I looked at him and shook my head.

"Well did you hit it?" Cal said. "After I covered your boring ass surveillance, the least you can do it tell us that much."

"Marisa's a nice girl. I'm not telling you shit," I said laughing.

"Pay up boys," Bobby said laughing. Cal, Ram and Tank pulled out their wallets. "I knew he wouldn't get any off of her. Not on the first date anyway." They all handed Bobby some cash. He stood there and counted his winnings. "Ah the sweet smell of victory," he said stuffing the wad of cash into his pocket.

"Shit, Santos you just cost me $50," Tank grumbled.

I shook my head and headed into my office. I had just sat down when Ranger stuck his head in my door.

"Yo, Santos," he said.

"Hey Boss, what's up?" I asked.

"I'm gonna be out of the office all day. I got a meeting with a prospective client. I told Steph if she needed anything to call you," he said leaning against the doorframe.

"Ok," I said. Today was looking good so far. Whenever I am on "Steph Duty" you know it's going to be fun.

"How did it go," Ranger asked grinning.

"It was great," I said booting up my computer.

"Shit, do I owe Bobby $50?" Ranger laughed. I looked at him and grinned.

"I'm not saying shit," I said. Ranger shook his head and pulled out his wallet.

"She sounds like a nice girl. You going out again?" he asked grinning.

"Got a lunch date," I said smiling.

"Hum, maybe I should go for double or nothing," Ranger said laughing and walking down the hall.

Assholes I thought to my self, laughing. Those guys were ten times worse than any bunch of little old ladies. I remembered my plans to send Marisa flowers this morning and logged on to find a florist. Within 10 minutes I had a huge bouquet of tulips on the way to the library. I couldn't help but smile when I thought of how surprised she would be.

I started working on some of the files on my desk when my cell chirped. I looked at the number. Steph. Here we go I thought.

"Hey Bombshell, what' up?" I said.

"Hey Lester. I'm heading out to pick up a skip, wanna tag along?" Steph said.

"Sure, you need some help?"

"Maybe. He's supposed to be big, ugly and mean."

"My favorite kind," I laughed. "Where you wanna meet?"

"Meet me at the bonds office and you can follow me over."

"Sounds good, see you in 15," I said disconnecting. I stood up and headed out of my office and back into the control room. "Tank, I'm on Bombshell watch. Ring my cell if you need me," I said heading toward the elevator.

"Call if you need back-up," Tank laughed.

"I may need it," I said pushing the button for the garage.

I arrived at the bonds office and Steph was just pulling up. Steph jumped out of her Mini Cooper and walked over to my SUV. I rolled down the window.

"You ready to rock," I asked her grinning.

"Well your in a fine mood this morning," she said smiling. "I take it you had a good time last night."

"Yeah I had a great time."

"You going to see her again?" she asked.

"Got a lunch date," I said smiling.

"Let's get this show on the road then. I wouldn't want you to be late," she said laughing as she turned and walked back to her Mini. I laughed and pulled out behind her.

I followed Steph into the Burg and we wound around a few blocks until we pulled up in front of a dilapidated row house on Franklin. I parked behind Steph and got out of the Expedition. I reached in the back and pulled out two flak vests, and handed one to Steph. She took the vest and strapped it on.

"So what's up with this guy," I asked pulling my Glock out from the small of my back and checking it. I laid it on the seat and reached for my utility belt. I strapped it on and stuck the Glock in the side.

"Donnie Santarillo, FTA on 2 counts of spousal abuse, resisting arrest and assault," She said adjusting her vest.

"Do you have your gun?"

"Yeah," she said looking at me.

"Is it loaded?" I asked. Steph bit her lip. I sighed and held out my hand.

Steph handed me her .38 Smith and Wesson and I reached in and opened the glove box and pulled out a box of bullets. It was mandatory now that we all carry several rounds of .38's since Steph never loaded her gun. I loaded her gun and handed it back to her. She frowned and stuck it in her waistband.

"Ready," I asked. She nodded.

We approached the house and I signaled Steph to stay behind me and to the left. I knocked on the door. Within in a few moments the door opened and I stood looking at a 6', 300 pound, stinky, ugly bald guy.

"What the fuck do you want?" he bellowed.

"I am from Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. You missed your court date, and I am here to take you to reschedule." Always try the nice approach first, I thought.

"Fuck Vinnie, and fuck you I ain't going anywhere," he said as he started to slam the door. I stuck my foot in and pulled my gun.

"That isn't a good idea. We can do this one of two ways, sir," I said calmly.

"Why don't you and your bitch get the fuck off my front porch before I knock you both off," he growled and took a step just outside the door. I backed up and trained my gun on him.

"Sir you can come quietly or we can force you," I said. Steph stepped up beside me with her gun drawn.

"On second thought how about I just kick the shit out of you and keep the bitch. I could have some fun with her," he laughed. He reached for Steph and I grabbed his arm, catching him off balance and jerked him forward. He landed with an "UUFF" and the whole rickety porch shook. Steph jumped on his back. I quickly put my boot on the back of his neck keeping him on the ground.

Santarillo was thrashing on the ground and shrugged Steph off. She landed with a thud on her ass and pulled out her stun gun. I nodded to her and she reached out and zapped him. He stopped struggling then.

"You ok," I asked cuffing him.

"Yeah I'm good," she said standing up and brushing herself off. I grabbed Santarillo under his arm and drug him down the steps. Steph grabbed his other arm and we drug him over to the Expedition. There was no way he was going to fit in the Mini. We got him into the back seat and I fastened leg shackles on him and bolted them to the floor.

"That wasn't so bad," I said grinning. Steph smiled.

"I'm glad you were here. I don't think that I could have handled him on my own," she said shaking her head.

"He's a big boy," I said. "Let's head to the cop shop."

Steph nodded and jumped into her Mini. I followed her to the police station and pulled right up front. Steph parked and hopped out. I got out and walked around to haul Santarillo out. God the truck smelled like B.O. now. I have to get some air freshener, I thought.

Steph waved at Carl Costanza and Big Dog. "Hey guys we need a hand," she called. Carl and Big Dog came walking down the steps. I nodded to them both. As far as cops went these guys were ok.

"Hey Steph," Carl said. "Damn you got a big ugly one today."

I pulled out Santarillo and he was starting to come around. He started struggling and Big Dog grabbed him under his arm.

"Hey big man, take it easy, I don't want to have to enforce some police brutality," Big Dog said pulling him up the steps. "Christ when was the last time you had a shower," he said leaning away from him. Santarillo tried to pull away from Big Dog and Carl grabbed his other arm. They drug him inside.

"What else do you have planned for today?" I asked Steph. She looked at me and shrugged.

"Gonna pick up my body receipt and head over to the office and then off to Macy's," she said laughing. "So you gonna tell me more about your date?"

"Not much to tell. We had dinner and I took her dancing. She's great," I said grinning.

"She must be you've been grinning since you got to the bonds office," Steph laughed. "I can't wait to meet her."

"You'll like her," I said smiling. I looked down at my watch. 11:30. "You want me to follow you back to the bonds office?"

"No, go enjoy your lunch. Thanks again," she said bounding up the steps.

I hopped back into the Expedition and headed toward the library. Damn the smell in here was awful. I stopped at a 7-11 and bought some air freshener. Great all they have is vanilla and strawberry. I took the lesser of two evils and went with vanilla. I sprayed the back seat and pulled away from the curb. It smells a little better in here, I thought.

I picked up my cell and called Marisa. It rang a couple of times and then she answered.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey cutie did you get the flowers?"

"Lester they are gorgeous! Thank you so much. I am definitely the envy of every woman here," she said laughing. I couldn't help but smile. I love when she laughs. It's like music.

"I'm glad that you liked them. What time are you taking lunch?" I asked and I parked in front of the library.

"It's 11:45 now so anytime you're free," she said.

"How about now," I asked chuckling.

"Where are you?" she said puzzled.

"I just pulled up out front. I'll see you in 2," I said hanging up the phone. I hopped out of the SUV and pulled off my utility belt and stuck it in the back seat. I placed my gun at the small of my back and headed inside. I scanned the library looking for Marisa. She came out from two giant rows of books and looked over at me.

She looked amazing. She was wearing a pair of jeans that fit her like a glove and were faded in all the right places, a small, gray v-neck t-shirt that when she moved showed a little skin in between her shirt and jeans, and a pair of running shoes. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a knot with a pencil shoved in it, and soft curls floated down around her face. She wasn't wearing any make-up, but she didn't need any. I smiled and walked toward her.

"Hey there cutie," I said leaning down and placing a light kiss on her lips. She flushed and grinned up at me.

"Hey. Let me get my purse and we'll go," she said heading behind the counter. She told another girl that she was taking lunch and she walked back over to me. I threw my arm around her shoulder and we walked out.

I opened the door to the SUV and she climbed in. Damn those jeans were made for her ass, I thought as I shut the door. I climbed in the other side and pulled her against me. "Now I can do this properly," I said as I kissed her.

I moved my tongue into her mouth and she made a sexy whimper noise in the back of her throat. She tasted so sweet. Her tongue rubbed up against mine and I instantly got hard. I had never reacted to a woman like this before. She could look at me and I got hard. She had no idea what she did to me. I pulled away and looked at her. Her face was flushed and her lips were pink and pouty and her bright blue eyes sparkled.

"Now that's taken care of, what do you feel like eating?" I said chuckling. She seemed a little addled and it made me feel good to know that I had the same effect on her as she did me.

"There's a great deli close to here, we could grab a sandwich. That sound ok?" she asked looking at me smiling.

"Sounds perfect," I said pulling away from the curb.

Marisa's POV

We went to the deli and opted to eat lunch at the park across the street. We sat under a large tree and talked as we ate. I was disappointed that it had to come to an end. My 30-minute break just wasn't enough. Lester drove me back to the library and gave me a knee-weakening kiss before I hopped out of the SUV.

"Marisa," he called as I got out. I looked over at him.

"Yeah," I said smiling.

"What are your plans for tonight?" he asked giving me a lop-sided grin. My heart fluttered ever time he did that.

"I have to work on my thesis. I'll be at home. Are you working tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah I have to work tonight and tomorrow," Lester nodded. "But I will call you later ok?"

"Ok," I nodded. "Be careful," I said. After the other night I knew how dangerous his job could be. I had to admit it kind of worried me. At the same time though, I knew that Lester was good at his job and I didn't think that he would take unnecessary risks.

"Always cutie," Lester grinned. "I'm looking forward to Sunday."

"Me too," I said smiling. "I'll talk to you tonight," I said shutting the door and heading back into the library. I turned and watched Lester pull away from the curb.

I couldn't believe the effect that he had on me. In just a few short days it seemed that he was all that I could think about. The rest of the day flew by. I knew that Natalie wanted to ask about him and I would have gladly told her, but she never did. She was content to grin at me every time I saw her.

At 4:00 I grabbed my vase of flowers out of Carol's office, said my goodbyes and headed out the door. As I pulled into the driveway at home, Mom was getting dropped off in front of the house.

"Wow," she said walking up to me and helping me with the flowers. "These are beautiful. Lester must have had a good time too," she said teasingly.

"Yeah," I said grinning. We walked into the house and Mom set the flowers on the kitchen table.

"I remember when your dad used to send me flowers," she said looking at the flowers fondly. "He used to do sweet things like that all of the time," she sad sadly. Mom never talked about dad. Every time she did she always got a sad look on her face. I knew that she really missed him. I did too.

"How long did it take for you to realize that you were in love with him?" I asked. Mom turned and looked at me. She smiled.

"Not long," she grinned. "Your father was the most handsome man I had ever saw. When he asked me out I was stunned. I of course went. We dated about a month and I just knew. He left to go on a mission and he was gone for three months. When he returned I told him. I had missed him so much that it drove me crazy. I didn't mean to tell him it just came out. He was so surprised and I was too. I didn't even realize that I did love him until I said it." She was smiling at the fond memories.

"How long did you date before you decided to get married?" I asked. I had never asked these questions before. Mom didn't seem to want to talk about this stuff. I was surprised that she was talking about it now.

"Almost a year," she said. "He was gone a lot but that is life with a Navy man," she shrugged and walked to the fridge and pulled out a water. "He was being transferred from San Diego to Norfolk. I wanted to go and he wanted me to go. We just decided that was a good time as any."

I smiled at her. "And Grandma had a fit," I said laughing.

Mom laughed and nodded. "Oh she couldn't stand it. I know that she liked Matt I think that it was me moving that she hated. 'You won't be happy as a sailor's wife,'" Mom shrugged. "Guess she was wrong. We had almost 30 great years together."

I stood up and hugged her. "I miss him too," I said. Mom nodded and I could see the unshed tears in her eyes. My parent's relationship had been very strong. Mom turned and busied herself straightening the kitchen counter. I smiled sadly at her and went upstairs.

I sat down at my desk and booted up my laptop. I started working on my thesis. I instantly became sucked into my work. I sat back awhile later and rubbed my eyes. I looked at my cell phone. Damn, 9:30 and I'm starving. I headed downstairs and grabbed a quick snack. Mom was watching T.V. as I walked into the living room.

"Did you want some dinner?" she asked. "There is lasagna if you want it. You seemed so involved in your work that I didn't want to interrupt you."

"No, I'm just going to have a snack and hit the books some more," I said leaning against the doorframe. She nodded and went back to watching T.V. I headed back upstairs and heard my cell phone ringing. I picked it up. Lester, I thought grinning.

"Hey you," I said answering.

"Hey cutie. How's the homework coming?" he asked.

"Good I've gotten a lot done," I said grinning. "You busy tonight? Dragging any scumbags to jail?"

"Only one this morning," Lester laughed. "I'm working surveillance again tonight. Pretty boring. Oh, Bobby says to tell you hello."

"Tell him hello for me too," I said grinning.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked.

"Going to get a car," I said shrugging. "I'm not looking forward to it. I hate dealing with car salesmen."

"Yeah they can be a real pain. Well I will let you get back to work cutie. I just wanted to call and say hi. I'll try to give you a call tomorrow," Lester said.

"Sounds good. Please be careful and try not to have to much fun," I said laughing remembering how both Bobby and Lester said hauling in dirt bags was so much fun.

"I'll try," he said laughing. "Sleep well, sweetie."

"I'll try," I said laughing as I hung up the phone. If they could just hang up on me then I can hang up on them I thought with a giggle.

I worked on my thesis for a couple more hours and then crashed. I got up around 9:30 the next morning and Mom and I headed out to find me a car. The insurance check had come Friday so I didn't have to dip into my savings. I had been thinking that I was going to use that money to get my own place, but I was not looking forward to breaking the news to Mom.

Mom kept trying to talk me into getting the Ford Taurus. "It's a safe car," she kept saying. It may be but damn it looked like a granny car. I finally settled on a 2002Volkswagen Jetta. It was small but roomy, good on gas, and the price was right. Plus the fact that it was cute was an added bonus. It was black, which I didn't really care for, but I wasn't going to complain.

I headed into the house and had dinner with Mom. I worked on my thesis some more and called it an early night. I took a long hot shower and crawled into bed. Lester kept running through my mind and I was having a hard time getting to sleep. I was excited about seeing him tomorrow and couldn't wait to see his place. I finally drifted off.

I awoke on Sunday morning late and had to rush to get to work. Sunday's are a busy day at the library. We have 'story time' the whole afternoon. The kids usually get on my nerves but I didn't mind them so much today. I was in a great mood thinking about my plans for the evening. At 5 I left and headed home.

Jennifer, Kevin and the kids were there when I got home. After I said hello to all of them, and wrestled with the kids for a few minutes, I ran upstairs and took a quick shower. I heard the doorbell ring at exactly 6 and I headed downstairs.

Evan was standing at the door looking up at Lester. "Who are you?" Evan asked. Lester looked down at him and smiled.

"I'm a friend of Marisa's," he said hunkering down to Evan's level. "You must be Evan," he said extending his hand. Evan looked at him.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Evan asked. Lester's laughter boomed.

"Working on it little man," he said grinning. I listened to all of this from the stairs and walked to the door.

"Evan are you bothering Lester," I said pulling him away from the door. "Come on in, Lester," I said stepping aside to let him enter. I couldn't help but stare. He looked wonderful. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and short-sleeved dark green polo shirt. His biceps strained the arms of the shirt. He looked good enough to eat. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.

"OOOHHHH, Aunt Isa!!! I'm telling Grammy!" Evan squealed and ran out the backdoor and into the back yard. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"Kids," I said shrugging. Lester laughed. "Come out back and you can meet the rest of my family."

Lester followed me through the kitchen and out the back door. Kevin was tending the grill and Mom and Jen were watching the kids play. They both stood with huge grins on their faces as they saw Lester and I approach.

"Jen, this is Lester Santos," I said introducing them. Jen's eyes got wide and she stuck out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Lester, this is my husband Kevin O'Connor," she said motioning to Kevin. Lester shook his hand also. "And those two are my children Evan and Casey," she said motioning to the kids chasing each other around a tree. "I hear you've already met Evan," Jen laughed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Lester said laughing. "Yeah Evan was the door greeter when I got here."

"It's nice to see you Lester," Mom said. Lester nodded to her.

"Are you two going to stay for dinner?" Kevin called from the grill.

"No thanks Kev, were heading out," I said. I looked at Lester. "Ready to go?" I said. I liked hanging out with my family, but I really wanted to be alone with Lester.

"Sure let's go," he said taking my hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you all," Lester said nodding to everyone. He turned and started walking toward the house. I turned and saw Jen grinning and giving me a big thumbs up. I smiled and followed Lester in the house. I grabbed my purse and we headed out the door.

I climbed up into his SUV and Lester hopped in and we pulled away from the curb. He hopped on the highway and within a few minutes we were just on the north side of Trenton. Lester got off an exit and we wound our way through a nice quiet neighborhood. He rolled up to a large condo complex. They were all freestanding condos. He pulled up to number 72, and hit the button on his visor to open the garage.

"This is it, home sweet home," he said grinning at me.

"It's very nice," I said smiling at him. His garage was full of toys. A huge black Ducati motorcycle was in the parked to the right, and several mountain bikes hung from hooks on the ceiling. Skis were propped up in the corner and golf clubs. I hopped out and followed Lester into a door to the left. We entered a small mudroom and Lester opened the door for me and I walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen was done in dark colors. Dark mahogany cabinets and dark granite counter tops. All the appliances were stainless steel, and the floor was a warm, gray slate tile.

"Come on, I'll give you the grand tour," he said grinning and taking my hand. He led me into the dining room, which was done in warm neutral tones. A huge mahogany dining table stood in the middle of the room. We walked to the left and into the living room. There was a huge chocolate brown leather sectional, massive plasma screen T.V. and an entertainment center full of movies, DVD's, and X-Box games. I stood looking around.

"This is a great place," I said turning to look at Lester. He looked at me and grinned.

"Thanks," he reached out and pulled me against him. "Know what else is great?" he said looking down at me. I smiled. "You," he said and kissed me. His tongue swooped into my mouth as he devoured me. I moaned and clung to him rubbing my tongue against his.

His hands moved down to cup my butt and he pulled me against him. I could feel his hardness against my stomach. I moaned and rubbed against him. I stood up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing my breasts against him. I shuddered as a bolt of fire shot through my body and centering in between my legs. I felt my panties get wet. Lester pulled away and looked down at me. His dark chocolate eyes shined.

"I've been thinking about doing that for two days," he chuckled. I looked up at him and smiled.

"You haven't finished the tour yet," I said huskily, "Wanna show me upstairs?"

"You ready for that," he said placing his hands on either side of my face.

OMG! Am I ready for that? I think that I'm gonna explode, I thought. I looked at him and gave him my best evil grin. "Yeah, I'm ready," I said.

Lester looked at me and smiled. He reached down and cupped my ass and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he kissed me again. He started walking toward the stairs and carried me up. We got to the top of the stairs and he stepped to the right and opened a door. He walked into the room and sat me down. I turned and looked at the room. There was a massive king sized mahogany sleigh bed with a dark blue comforter.

To the right there was a large chair and armoire. Two doors to the left. I was assuming one a closet the other the bathroom. I stood and looked up at him. His chocolate eyes pierced into mine.

"Are you sure about this Marisa? I don't want you to feel like you have to do something," he said tenderly.

"I know that Lester," I said grinning. "If I didn't want this, I wouldn't be here," I said stroking my hand down the side of his face. I ran my thumb across his smooth bottom lip. His lips were perfect. They were made to be kissed I thought. I leaned up and ran my tongue across his lips gently. Lester groaned and pulled me against him. His hand snaked under my shirt and he grasped my breast, stroking my nipple through my bra. I felt my nipples contract and let out a moan.

Lester backed me up to the bed and quickly removed my t-shirt. He gazed down at me and began placing feather light kisses on my cheek and across my jaw line. He kissed my collarbone and placed hot open-mouthed kisses across my chest. He reached up and expertly removed my bra and I stood before him. I reached out and pulled his shirt out of his jeans and he reached over his shoulders and pulled it off in one quick motion.

I stood looking at the bronze god before me. His chest was well defined and smooth. His caramel skin shivered as I ran my hand down his 8-pack abs. I noticed the tattoo then. It was a black tribal band that ran all the way around his massive bicep. God he was sexy. He moved his hands up to stroke my bare breasts, rolling my nipples between his thumb and forefingers. I moaned and tossed my head back and leaned against him.

Lester reached down and unfastened my jeans and pushed them over my hips. I shucked off my shoes and stepped out of my jeans, kicking them to the side. I reached out and unfastened the button of his jeans and pushed them down. Lester stepped back and took off his shoes and pulled his jeans and boxers down in one quick motion. My eyes got wide as I stared down at his huge erection.

I don't think it's gonna fit, I thought. My God he's huge! I looked back up to Lester's face and I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. He looked at me with his tender brown eyes and smiled. He walked forward and I slid back on the bed. He followed me down and ran his hand up my rib cage and followed it with kisses. He kissed the side of my breast and then took the nipple into his mouth and began to suckle. I moaned and arched against him.

I dug my fingernails into his shoulders as he continued his tender assault on my breasts. He slipped his hand down and slowly pulled off my panties. He knelt in front of me in between my thighs.

"God Marisa. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asked as he ran his hand the length of my body.

I shuddered with need. My body felt like it was on fire. I sat up and claimed his mouth. I ran my hands over his smooth chest. I stroked his nipples and heard him moan in my mouth. He pushed me back down on the bed and began kissing and sucking at my neck. He licked and sucked across my chest and took my nipple in his mouth again. With his other hand he began pulling and pinching my other nipple.

I groaned and arched against him. He placed hot kisses down my stomach and circled my belly button with his tongue. I could feel my wetness dampen the inside of my thighs. He kissed the inside of my thigh and looked up at me. His eyes were black with desire. He pulled my hips closer to him and he slowly licked me. He started at the bottom of my opening and slowly licked upwards, finally circling my clit with his tongue.

I cried out and bucked my hips uncontrollably. He continued circling my clit with his tongue, sucking on it as he inserted a finger in me. "Oh Lester," I groaned. I felt my walls tighten around his finger. He slowly slipped in another finger. He was still nipping at my clit. I pressed against his mouth and cried out as a powerful orgasm ripped though me.

Lester withdrew his fingers and slowly kissed back up my body. He claimed my mouth again thrusting his tongue deep. I sucked on his tongue, faintly tasting myself. His hands were everywhere. Stroking and touching. I felt him nudge my knees apart and he rested in between my thighs. I could feel his huge erection against my opening.

"God, Marisa you taste so good," he breathed against my ear. He licked my neck, and he began to enter me, so slowly. I moaned and arched against him. I cried out as he filled me completely. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" he asked placing his hands on either side of my face and looking me in the eye. His eyes were filled with tenderness and concern.

"No, I'm ok," I panted. I had never felt anything like it before. I felt my body expand and contract around him. I ran my hands down his back and grabbed his firm ass.

"God, your so tight Marisa," Lester breathed in my ear. His breath was ragged. He still wasn't moving. He stayed completely still letting my body adjust to him. I moaned again and moved against him. "Wait," he ground out, trying to keep his control. He slowly began to thrust in and out. His lips found my breasts again, and my fingernails dug into his shoulders.

Lester slid his hands under my hips and pulled me up against him. He was holding me in his hands and thrusting into me. I thrashed my head from side to side and my hands gripped the sheets. He slipped one of his hands between us and began circling my clit with his thumb. I felt my self tighten and cried out with the pleasure he was bringing me.

With one quick motion, Lester rolled over and I was straddling him. I eased down on him and rocked my hips back and forth. His hands were on my hips, and I leaned forward and licked and sucked on his perfectly smooth chest. I flicked my tongue across his nipple and heard him moan. I took it between my teeth and nipped lightly. I sat back up and closed my eyes and threw my head back and rocked slowly.

"Look at me," he said. I looked down at him. His dark eyes were almost black with passion. "I want you to look at me while you come," he said grasping my hips and moving me up and down. I placed my hands on his chest and moved up and down. I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. "Don't hold back, Marisa," Lester ground out between clenched teeth.

I looked down at him, tiny beads of perspiration had broken out on his forehead. I started to move faster, groaning as I ground against him. I felt an earth shattering orgasm wash over me and I screamed his name. Lester sat up and devoured my mouth, his tongue exploring every part. He slipped his hands up my back and eased up to his knees, still inside of me. I pulled my shoulders back and laid me on the bed. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he began to pound into me.

Lester was whispering deeply erotic nothings in my ear. I felt my body tighten again and I cried out. I felt Lester tense up, "God, Marisa," he groaned as he shuddered his release.

He propped himself in his forearms and gently kissed me. He held my face in his hands and smiled at me. I was trying to get my breathing under control. His breath was labored too. He slipped out of me and moved to my side still running his hands all over my body. I curled against his chest still panting.

"That was amazing," He said pushing my hair back from my face and tenderly kissing my lips.

"Earth shattering," I said grinning. I was so satisfied and completely exhausted. I curled against his chest and listened to his heartbeat and dozed off.

Lester POV

I lay there and watched Marisa doze off. I couldn't stop touching her. That was a mind-blowing experience. She showed every emotion on her face. I smiled and kissed her hair. I pulled her closer to me. She instinctively snuggled closer and intertwined her legs with mine.

This was all new to me. I had never had a woman give herself so completely. I tried to take it slow but she wouldn't let me, I thought with a chuckle. I realized that my shoulders were stinging and I grinned. She could be a little hell cat, I thought. I looked down at her. She had a smile on her face and she nuzzled against my chest.

She's perfect. That is the only word to describe her. Smart, funny, sexy as hell, gorgeous, and she had a smile that could light up a room. Oh, GOD! I forgot to ask if she was on the pill? SHIT! This was not good. I cursed myself for being so stupid. That was something that I would have to bring up later. That was totally irresponsible on my part. I felt like such an ass.

Marisa stirred against me. "Lester," she whispered.

"Yeah sweetie," I answered looking down at her. Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times.

"You're here? It wasn't a dream?" she said and then blushed. Guess that was another think it then say it thing. I grinned at her.

"You've been dreaming about me cutie?" I said teasingly. Her face turned bright red.

"Just a couple of times," she said sheepishly. She pulled away from me.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the bathroom," she said getting up. She started walking across the room to the adjoining bathroom. I watched her walk away and got hard again. God what she does to me I thought. She returned a few moments later and sat back down on the bed.

"Marisa, I have to apologize to you," I started then realized my mistake. Her face had a stricken look. "Oh, no sweetie, I didn't mean it like that. I just forgot in the heat of the moment to use any kind of protection. I am so sorry. I shouldn't have gotten carried away like that. It was irresponsible on my part."

"I'm on the pill," she said grinning.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me. I thought that you were going to say that this was all a big mistake," she said.

"God no. Are you kidding me?" I said reaching for her and pulling her close to me. "This was definitely not a mistake," I said placing a light kiss on her lips. "Why would you think that?"

Marisa shrugged and looked up at me. "Well," she started. I could see her mind working.

"What's bothering you sweetie," I asked rubbing my hands up and down her back.

"It was absolutely amazing. Better than anything that I could have dreamed. I just hope that I was able to please you half as much as you did me," she looked up at me with her wide blue eyes. I felt my heart melt.

"Marisa, you have no idea how happy you have made me," I pulled her closer to me. "Come here and let me show you," I said grinning.

"No, let me show you," she said with a wicked grin.

After round two, then three, and finally four, we both lay panting on the bed. Our bodies slick with sweat. I felt like I had just ran 15 miles uphill. I rolled onto my side and looked at Marisa lying beside me. Her blue eyes had turned almost sapphire. She looked at me and grinned. I pulled her close to me.

"You know this isn't the reason that I asked you to come over," I said grinning.

"I know. But hey whatever works," she said giggling. She placed feather light kisses on my chest and neck. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was already 12:30 am.

"You hungry sweetie?" I asked. I had just realized that I had promised dinner. I was hungry too.

"I'm starving," she said grinning as she sat up. "I think that I need a shower worse," she laughed. I rolled off the bed grinning.

"Come on, I'll wash your back," I said giving her a wolf like grin.

"That sounds promising," she laughed hopping off the bed and walking toward the bathroom. I caught up with her half way there and scooped her up and threw her over my shoulder. She squealed with surprise and then started laughing. "I can walk you know," she giggled.

"You won't be able to when I'm done with you," I growled.

Awhile later after we were both showered and exhausted again, we headed downstairs to the kitchen. Marisa was wearing one of my t-shirts. It almost swallowed her whole. I couldn't help but grin as I watched her sit at the breakfast bar eating the sandwich I had made for her. I opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of Corona's, cracked them open and handed one to her. She took a long swig, and sat the bottle down.

"Do you have class tomorrow?" I asked sitting next to her.

"No, Monday's are study days usually," She answered taking another sip of her beer. I glanced over at the clock it was 1:45 a.m. Time seemed to fly by every time I was near her.

"Are you going to stay with me tonight?" I asked glancing at her. I saw her stiffen.

"Um, if you want me to I will," she said looking at me and then back to her sandwich. "If you would like to take me home that is ok too," she said. I saw her shift nervously. Why would she be getting nervous now? I thought frowning. After everything we had done tonight, I thought she would be over that.

"Of course I want you to stay. I can't think of any better way to wake up than next to you. It's your choice though," I said trying to gauge her reaction. Marisa gave me a tight smile and finished her beer. "You ok?" I asked.

She had a strange look on her face. I wasn't sure what was running through her pretty little head. She shook her head.

"I'm fine," she said standing and clearing her plate from the bar. I sat and watched her walk across the kitchen to the sink.

"What are you thinking?" I blurted out. God, I sounded like her I thought grinning. She turned and looked at me and sighed.

"I'm thinking that this was the most wonderful night of my life. I don't want it to end. I don't want to go back to the real world," she said shrugging.

I stood up and moved to stand in front of her. "What do you mean real world?" I asked cupping her face in my hands. She looked up at me.

"The real world where I live with my mother. Where I go to work at my crappy job, come home and study until I fall asleep," she said. I saw tears forming in her eyes. "Where I wake up and realize that this was all some kind of dream."

I pulled her to my chest. "Marisa this is as real as it gets," I said stroking her hair. "Sweetie, I don't know where this is going to go, but I know that I want it to go somewhere. I love spending time with you," I moved so that I could look down at her. I tilted her chin up so that I could look into her eyes. "I want to spend a lot more time with you."

She gave me a little grin. "That's the problem," she said. "My life is so complicated right now. I have so much going on. I don't know how much time I can devote to this," she whispered. I saw a tear slip down her cheek as she stared at my chest.

"Marisa, look at me," I pulled her chin up until she was looking at me. "I understand that you're busy. I understand having a crazy life. Honey mine is so fucked up I usually don't know if I am coming or going. I work crazy hours and I don't know how we will work it out, but we will," I said placing a light kiss on her lips. "That is if you want to," I said.

Marisa just looked up at me and didn't say a word. My mind was racing. What would I do if she said that she didn't want this? She had consumed me so much in the past few days that I didn't know if I wanted to go back to the way it was before. I had never been with someone who made me feel like this. I felt tightness in my chest. She had an expression like she was trying to solve the world's problems.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her. God, I sounded like a broken record.

"Do you want the truth?" she said looking up at me.

"Nothing but," I answered. I watched her as she pulled away from me and walked back toward the bar. I held my breath as she started speaking.

"Honestly, I'm scared shitless," she said turning to face me. "I'm scared of you and how you make me feel. When you look at me my knees get weak, and when you smile at me everything in my mind just flies out the window. I'm scared because you make me feel so special and you put me up on a pedestal and I'm afraid that when you really find out who I am you'll be disappointed." She dropped her head and looked at her feet.

Is she crazy? Did she not understand that she is special? Does she not get that she could never disappoint me? My mind raced and I crossed the room in three steps.

I pulled her close to me. "You do crazy things to me. When I see you my heart stops. Your perfect. Everything about you is perfect. How could I ever be disappointed with perfection?"

"I'm not perfect Lester," she said pulling away from me. "I'm just plain old me. Nothing special and certainly the farthest thing from perfection. If perfection is what you are after, then you have the wrong girl." She turned and walked into the living room and up the stairs.

I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. How in the hell was I going to get her to understand? Understand what, I thought. That she may not be perfect in her eyes, but that she was perfect for me? What the fuck? Where did that come from? Who am I kidding? I knew that when I saw her standing in the hallway of that shitty apartment building kicking the shit out of a skip. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair and followed her upstairs.

I found her in my bedroom pulling on her jeans. "Marisa," I said. Hell I didn't know what to say.

"Could you please take me home," she said pulling on her shoes.

"No," I said before I thought about it. She turned and looked at me.

"No?" she asked shocked.

"No, we need to talk about a few things," I said walking into the room. She glared at me.

"What is there to talk about? I'm not the perfect little girl that you think that I am. Lester it is only a matter of time before you figure that out and become disenchanted with me. What then? I'll tell you what, you'll walk away and I'll be left standing there with a broken heart. I don't need that," she sobbed. "Fuck, why do I have to be such a girl," she said wiping her eyes.

"Marisa, sit down," I said looking at her. She glanced at me and sat down in the chair. "I want you to listen to me very carefully," I said hunkering down in front of her. She sniffed and looked me in the eye.

"I understand that you're not perfect. No one is. I'm sure as hell not. As far as putting you on a pedestal, that is where you deserve to be. You deserve to be treated like a princess. You're smart, sexy, caring and beautiful. I've never met anyone like you before," I took a deep breath before I continued. "I don't know why you are worrying about what might happen if we give this a shot. I can't predict the future, Marisa. I can't promise you that this is all going to work out and that we will live happily ever after. But I can promise you that I will do my damndest to try to make that happen."

Marisa looked up at me. Her bright blue eyes were shining with unshed tears. My heart clinched. I wanted her to smile. I wanted to see the look on her face from earlier. I wanted to see all of the emotions I saw earlier as I made love to her. The joy. The passion. The intensity. The love.

My heart stopped. Oh my God! This isn't happening, this is way to fast. This is not how it is supposed to go. My mind was going in a million different directions. Scared? I don't get scared. I am Mr. Badass ex-military Special Forces guy. Scared isn't even in my vocabulary. As I sat there and looked at her, I was scared shitless.

Marisa POV

As I stomped up the stairs I felt the tears burn behind my eyes. By the time I got to the bedroom I was crying. What in the hell is wrong with you? I thought. Why can't you just accept things the way that they are, and go with it? Why does every little aspect of my pathetic life have to be planned? I pulled off Lester's shirt and quickly found my underwear and bra.

Because you don't want to get hurt, I thought and because you love him. NO! This is NOT happening! This is NOT how it goes. This is some stupid crush. This is just a fling just like the others. I am not in love with him. I was pulling on my jeans when I heard him behind me.

"Marisa," he said.

I didn't turn to look at him. I started pulling on my shoes. "Could you please take me home?" I asked. Before I blurt out something stupid, I thought.

"No," he answered. I turned and glared at him.

"No?" I asked incredulously. Fine, I'll call a cab, I'll call Jen, hell I'll call my Mom, just get me the fuck out of here.

"No, we need to talk about a few things," he said walking into the room. I stood there and glared at him. I don't want to talk, I thought. I need to get away from you, my mind screamed.

"What is there to talk about? I'm not the perfect little girl that you think that I am. Lester it is only a matter of time before you figure that out and become disenchanted with me. What then? I'll tell you what, you'll walk away and I'll be left standing there with a broken heart. I don't need that," I sobbed disgusted with myself. "Fuck, why do I have to be such a girl," I said wiping my eyes.

"Marisa, sit down," he said looking at me. I glanced over at him. Fine, let's just get this over with, I thought as I walked over and sat down in the chair. Lester moved over and hunkered down in front of me. He stared me in the eye.

"I understand that you're not perfect. No one is. I'm sure as hell not. As far as putting you on a pedestal, that is where you deserve to be. You deserve to be treated like a princess. You're smart, sexy, caring and beautiful. I've never met anyone like you before," He stopped and took a deep breath. He looked at me and I saw many emotions in his dark chocolate eyes.

"I don't know why you are worrying about what might happen if we give this a shot. I can't predict the future, Marisa. I can't promise you that this is all going to work out and that we will live happily ever after. But I can promise you that I will do my damndest to try to make that happen," Lester said.

I sat there looking at him. My heart swelled. He is perfect. How could I run away from him? You can't ask for anything more than that. He made me feel so special. He was the first thing that I thought of when I woke up and the last thing I thought of before I went to sleep. He was like a drug. And I was hopelessly addicted.

"Lester," I whispered. He placed his warm hand on the side of my face and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "I think," I started and bit my lip. What are you doing, my mind screamed.

"What is it, Marisa?" he said looking at me with something like hope in his eyes.

"I think I might be in love with you," I whispered. I immediately looked up to gauge his reaction. He looked stunned. OMG, I've done it now. Did I just actually say that? I should have run like hell earlier. I held my breath, not knowing what would happen next.

Lester's face broke into a bone-weakening smile. "Cutie, I think I might be in love with you too."

Lester's POV

_8 months later….._

I couldn't wait to get home. Since Marisa had moved in with me 6 months ago, every day when my shift ended I caught myself driving like hell to get home. I didn't go and hang out with the guys anymore after work. They all called me pussy whipped. What the fuck do I care? Jealousy will get them nowhere.

Tonight I drove with more urgency than normal. Tonight was special. Our lives had finally fallen into place. Marisa had gotten a great job working with the Trenton P.D. as a profiler. She worked with RangeMan from time to time freelance of course. She loved her work, and she was damn good at it too. Ranger had tried on numerous occasions to lure her away from Trenton P.D. She always declined his offer no matter how generous. I had to respect her for that. Not many people had the balls to say no to Ranger.

I opened the garage and saw Marisa's Jetta parked inside. I pulled in beside it and killed the engine. I looked at my watch. 9:30 p.m. I had wanted to get home earlier but Ranger had an impromptu mandatory meeting at 8:00 tonight. I sat there for a moment and took a few deep breaths. I reached down into my cargo pocket and pulled out the black velvet case. I opened it and pulled out the sparkling diamond ring I had bought a few weeks ago and read the inscription. _I will love you forever Love L._

A huge smile broke out on my face as I thought about what her reaction would be. I placed the ring back in the box and got out of my SUV. I opened the back door and walked into the kitchen and my heart stopped.

Marisa POV

_Early afternoon the same day…._

I sat behind my desk at Trenton P.D. looking over the massive amount of paper work spread before me. I loved my job but the paperwork was the pits. I had stared at it until my eyes were crossed. I stood up and stretched. I decided to take a little walk. I hadn't been feeling well lately. I had been feeling really run down and tired all of the time.

I walked down the hall and bumped into Stephanie. She came around the corner and we collided. "Oh," I said in surprise.

"Oh, God Marisa, I'm sorry," she said stepping back.

"It's ok, where are you heading in such a hurry," I asked. She looked around the corner. I peeked around the corner too. Joe Morelli came down the hallway.

"You on a break? I really need a donut," she said grabbing my arm and pulling me behind her.

"Sounds good," I said following her.

"Stephanie," Morelli called as he came around the corner.

"Hurry," Steph whispered practically dragging me behind her. "Sorry Joe, I can't talk. Marisa needs my help on something really important. I'll see you later," she called as she drug me over to my office door. I ran inside and grabbed my purse and she grabbed my arm again pulling me outside and down the steps over to a black Ford Expedition. Obviously a RangeMan vehicle, I thought.

"What happened to your Mini," I asked teasingly. Lester had told me about the crazy skip and a sledgehammer. Steph rolled her eyes and climbed in.

"I really don't want to talk about it," she said shaking her head smiling. "I should have known that it wouldn't last," she said shaking her head. I had to laugh.

"What was that all about?" I asked her as she pulled out.

"Same shit," she answered grinning. I nodded. It was legendary. Ever since Stephanie and Ranger had decided to give their a relationship at go, Morelli had been trying like hell to get her back. Hell he had even tried to pump me for information because of my relationship with Lester. Everyone at RangeMan were pretty close and Steph and I had become good friends. He didn't have any luck. It was obvious that Steph and Ranger had something special. I wasn't going to help him try to fuck it up.

Steph headed toward the Burg and pulled into the Tasty Pastry. We hopped out and walked inside. As soon as I smelled the sickening sweet smell of icing my stomach lurched. I stopped dead.

"Marisa, are you ok?" Steph asked with concern. She placed her hand on my arm.

"I'm going to be sick," I said.

"Oh, God," Steph said pulling me toward the bathroom in the back. As soon as the door opened I barely made it to the toilet. Steph rubbed my back as I finally got the gagging under control. She wet a few paper towels and handed them to me.

"Thanks," I said. Steph looked at me and grinned.

"No problem. How long has this been going on?" she asked. I looked up at her startled.

"A week," I answered.

"Have you told Lester yet?" she asked grinning.

"Told him what," I said looking at her puzzled.

"Have you taken a test yet?" I looked up at her and I suddenly felt lightheaded. I slumped down on the floor.

"No, I never even thought. I figured that I had some kind of stomach bug," I said. "It's impossible, I'm on the pill," I said looking at her.

"Come on, lets get out of here. We'll stop by the drug store and head over to your place," Steph said helping me up off the floor.

"I need to go by the station and pick up my car," I said walking in a daze back out to the SUV. Steph pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Yo, yourself. I need a favor," she said. "I need someone to pick up Marisa's car at the police station, and bring it to her house." She paused for a moment. "The important part is that Lester doesn't know. He will be worried sick. No she's fine. She's with me," She paused again. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She gave one of her patented eye rolls. "Just do this for me ok? I will call you later, promise me you won't worry Lester," she looked at me and shook her head. "Ok, thanks. Love you," she said and hung up the phone.

"Ranger is sending Tank over. He promised not to tell Lester," she said pulling into the drug store. I nodded and took a deep breath. She parked and got out. "You stay here, I'll be right back," she said dashing into the store.

I sat there trying to get my heartbeat under control. This wasn't happening. I mean I wanted kids, I think. Lester was great with kids but would he want one? Oh, God what if he didn't? We had never really talked about it. I was starting to get a headache. Steph came back a few moments later with a bag full of stuff.

"What in the hell did you buy?" I asked looking at her. Steph shrugged.

"There are a hundred different kinds. I don't know which is the best one, so I got several," she said handing me the bag. I opened it up and looked inside. There were seven different tests. I looked over at her. "You can't be to sure," she shrugged.

Steph hopped on the highway and was weaving in and out of traffic. A short time later we pulled up in front of our condo. We got out and walked through the front door. I tossed my purse on the couch and took the bag toward the bathroom in the hallway. I looked at Steph.

"Well hurry up! I can't wait," she said grinning. I groaned and walked into the bathroom. "Make sure you take all seven," she called through the door.

I took three.

All three said the same thing.

I was pregnant.

I sat down on the toilet lid and black dots danced in front of my eyes. Steph knocked on the door, "Marisa, are you ok?" I stood up and opened the door and looked at her. Steph stood there almost prancing. "Well," she said.

"I took three," I said. She looked at me. I nodded. Steph squealed and hugged me. "Oh, Marisa I am sooooo happy for you and Lester! He is going to be sooooo excited!"

"I hope so," I mumbled. She looked at me.

"He loves you. Of course he's going to be happy! When are you going to tell him?" she asked.

"Tonight," I said. I wanted it to be perfect. "I will cook him a wonderful dinner and then break the news." Steph nodded her agreement.

"I'll help you, not with the cooking of course, but setting things up." I smiled at her. She was a good friend. We started setting things up. Candles everywhere, and I started putting a menu together. Tank showed up with my car sometime later. He opened the back door told me it was there asked me if I was ok, and he was gone. That's how Tank is. He isn't much on conversation

We got very busy and I looked at the clock. SHIT! 7:15, he would be home any time!

"I need more time," I said. Steph looked at me. She dashed to the sofa and grabbed her purse and pulled her phone out.

"I need another favor," she said winking at me. "Can you hold Lester up for a few minutes?" She stood there and chewed her lip. "I don't know have an emergency meeting or something, we need more time." Steph looked at me. "Marisa is fine, she has a surprise for him and she needs your help," she rolled her eyes and handed the phone to me. "He wants to talk to you," she said.

I shrugged and took the phone. "Hey Ranger," I said.

"Marisa are you sure that your ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I have a huge surprise planned for Lester and I need you to stall him for me please?" I begged.

"What kind of surprise?" Ranger asked chuckling.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" I said teasingly.

"I'll think of something. I can get you an hour, hour and a half tops. When it is time for him to go home he's gone," Ranger said laughing.

"I'll take it. Thank you so much Ranger, I really appreciate it," I said grinning.

"Put babe back on the phone," he said. I handed the phone to Steph and went into the kitchen. Everything was in place. The sauce was made, salad chilling in the fridge. I still needed to cook the pasta but not yet. All I needed to do was take a shower and get ready. I walked back into the living room as Steph was hanging up.

"I gotta get in the shower," I said. Steph hugged me and smiled.

"Call me tomorrow or the next day. I'm so happy for you both," she said hugging me again and heading out the door.

I dashed upstairs and jumped in the shower. I hurriedly dried my hair and went to the closet. I wanted to look good. I spotted the little black dress that I had worn on our first date and smiled at the fond memories. I pulled it out and laid it on the bed. I slipped on a black lacy thong and thigh highs and 4 inch black FMP's. I slipped the dress on and looked at myself in the mirror. I turned to the side and tried to imagine my stomach huge with a baby. Lester's baby, I thought smiling. God I loved him so much.

I looked at the clock 9:00 p.m. I brushed out my hair and didn't bother with make up. Lester said I didn't need it anyway. I rushed downstairs and boiled the pasta. I set everything on the table and lit all of the candles. I heard the garage door open and I took a deep breath. "Show time," I whispered to myself as the back door opened.

Lester's POV

The whole kitchen and dining room was covered in candles. Marisa stood in the middle of the kitchen. She was wearing THAT dress. God she was so beautiful she took my breath away. I didn't think that I would ever get used to looking at her. Her long blonde hair flowed around her and she had a huge smile on her face.

"Hey cutie, what's all this?" I said walking into the kitchen and standing in front of her. I pulled her close to me and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around me and smiled.

"I just wanted to do something special," she said sweetly. There was a mischievous gleam in her eye. She was up to something. I looked around the room.

"All this for me?" I said looking down at her. She nodded and took my hand and led me into the dining room. I took off my utility belt and numerous weapons and laid them on the buffet. The table was set and candles flickered everywhere. I sat down at the table and looked at the food. "Wow this looks amazing, sweetie. You shouldn't have gone to all of this trouble," I said looking up at her.

"It was no trouble," she said leaning down and kissing me lightly. She pulled away before I could pull her down on my lap and kiss her properly and she placed a plate of food in front of me. She poured me a glass of wine and took her seat.

"Sorry I was late," I said tasting the pasta. It was unbelievable. Damn she could cook. "Ranger called a meeting at the last minute and I had to stay," I said looking over at her.

"It's ok," she said sipping her water. That was strange, I thought but didn't mention it. We finished dinner and I cleared the table. I took Marisa's hand and led her into the living room and sat her down on the couch.

"I need to talk to you about something," I said seriously. She looked at me with wide eyes.

"I need to tell you something too," she said. She shifted nervously. "You go first," she said looking at me.

I took a deep breath and pulled her closer to me. I looked into her beautiful shining blue eyes. "Marisa I love you with all of my heart. These past few months have made me realize something about myself. It has been so wonderful living here with you. Waking up next to you, and falling asleep with you. I never thought that I would meet someone that could possibly make me feel this way." I paused and looked at her. She flashed me a dazzling smile.

My heart was pounding. I was so nervous and I didn't want to fuck this up. I reached down into my pocket and pulled out the ring box. Marisa looked down at the box and her eyes got wide. "Marisa you are my life. I don't think that I can remember a time before you came into my life." I said opening the box, "I love you so much and I want to spend everyday for the rest of my life with you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Marisa gazed down at the ring and then looked back up at me. Her eyes were full of tears and she had a huge smile on her face. I brushed a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "Just say yes, sweetie," I said holding my breath.

"Yes," she said. She said yes, my mind screamed! I felt a rush that I had never felt before. She said yes. I took the ring out and slipped it on her finger. I kissed her ring finger and then pulled her to me and crushed my lips to hers. Marisa clung to my shoulders and pressed herself against me. I slid my hands up her bare back. Her tongue thrust into my mouth and I groaned. God what this woman does to me, I thought.

I gently pushed her back on the sofa and slipped my hand up the inside of her thigh. My fingers brushed her panties and I could feel how wet she was. I was so hard that I thought I would burst. Marisa pushed against my shoulders and broke the kiss.

"Lester wait," she said breathlessly. I instantly stopped.

"What's wrong," I said looking at her with concern. She shook her head.

"I have to tell you something," she said sitting up. In my excitement I totally forgot that she wanted to tell me something.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I guess I got carried away," I said sheepishly. She smiled at me.

"It's ok. I got carried away too," she said grinning. She took my hand in hers. I looked down and had to smile at the sight of my ring on her finger. "Lester, I am really glad that you asked me to marry you. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she said shifting nervously again.

I studied her face. She looked very nervous.

"I don't know how to say this," she started. I held her hand tighter.

"Like you always do cutie, just blurt it out," I said teasingly. "You know that you can tell me anything," I said smiling at her.

She looked at me and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

My jaw dropped and I swear I saw stars. I sat there for a moment and tried to get the words to come out. Marisa's pregnant! Marisa's pregnant! Marisa's pregnant with my baby!

"Lester," she whispered quietly. I looked at her. Emotion raced across her face. Fresh tears welled into her eyes.

"Oh my God, Marisa!" I said grabbing her and kissing her. I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to be a Daddy!" I said kissing her again.

"And I'm going to be a Mommy," she laughed.

I loved her so much. I doubted that she would ever know exactly how much. I made a vow right then and there that I would try everyday for the rest of my life to show her and our baby.

Several hours later we both lay on our bed. Marisa was curled up next to me placing light kisses on my chest. I leaned down and placed a kiss on her stomach. I still couldn't believe that something we created, our baby was in there. I looked up and saw tears in Marisa's eyes. I placed another kiss on her stomach and moved up to kiss her lips.

"Do you have any idea how happy you have made me today?" I said looking down at her. I was stroking her stomach.

"As happy as you have made me. I still can't believe that I am going to be Mrs. Lester Santos," she said leaning up and kissing me. "I love you," she whispered against my lips.

I kissed her and thrust my tongue in her mouth. My hands ran the length of her body. Marisa moaned and arched against me. "I love you too," I said moving in between her thighs. "Now Mrs. Santos," I said grinning wickedly, "let me show you exactly how much."

The End

A/N: This is my very first Fan fic. I hope that you all enjoy. I had a great time writing it, and I never meant for it to get this long. It started out to be a short story and it just steamrolled from there!


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